+- Forums (http://india-forum.com)
+-- Forum: Archives (http://india-forum.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=7)
+--- Forum: Library & Bookmarks (http://india-forum.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=21)
+--- Thread: Islamism - 4 (/showthread.php?tid=637)
Islamism - 4 - acharya - 01-18-2006
Muslim contribution to civilisation
Dr Farrukh Saleem
http://www.sulekha.com/news/nhc.aspx?cid=441427
Al-Khwarizmi, the Persian mathematician, astrologer and astronomer is
considered the 'father of Algebra' (the word 'Algebra' is derived from the title
of one his books 'Al-Jar wa-al-Muqabilah'). Al-Khwarizmi, greatly influenced by
the work of Hindu mathematicians, taught the world how to solve linear and
quadratic equations.
Al-Farghani measured the Earth's diameter and gave the world 'Elements of
astronomy on the celestial motions' (the Alfraganus crater on the Moon was named
after Al-Farghani). Ibn Sina -- greatly influenced by the Ismaili branch of
Islam -- was a physician, scientist and philosopher. He authored 450 books,
presented the human civilisation 'The Canon of Medicine' and became the 'father
of modern medicine'.
Omar al-Khayyam was a mathematician, astronomer, sceptic, writer and poet.
Omar Khayyam discovered binominal expansion, measured the length of the year to
within six decimal points (as 365.242195), mapped the stars in the sky and
showed the world how to solve cubic equations.
Omar al-Khayyam's philosophy on religion was very different from the
officially held tenets of Islam. He vociferously "objected to the notion that
every particular event and phenomenon was the result of divine intervention; nor
did he believe in any Judgment Day or rewards and punishments after life.
Instead he supported the view that laws of nature explained all phenomena of
observed life." In 1970, a lunar crater was named after him. In 1980, an
asteroid was named after him.
Al-Farghani died in 833; Al-Khwarizmi in 850, Ibn Sina in 1,037 and Omar
al-Khayyam in 1,123. Question: What have Muslims contributed to the human
civilisation over the past 833 years? Answer: Next to zilch.
Twenty-two per cent of humanity is Muslim, at least 1.4 billion followers of
Islam. Omar al-Khayyam has been dead for 833 years, and since then Muslims have
contributed next to nothing to physics, chemistry, medicine, literature or
economics. The Nobel Foundation has been awarding Nobel Prizes for more than a
hundred years, and out of the 1.4 billion Muslims we have produced three: Nejib
Mahfooz (Literature), Ahmed Zewail (Chemistry) and Abdus Salam (Physics).
Look closer: Ahmed Zewail pursued his scientific work in America; Abdus Salam
in Italy and the UK. In 1997, Nejib Mahfooz was stabbed in the back by an
Egyptian Muslim fundamentalist and Abdus Salam is not considered a Muslim in
Pakistan.
Two out of every ten human beings are Muslim but what really has been the
intellectual output of Muslim lands over the past 833 years? Consider this: The
population of Rawalpindi is 1.4 million, and that's the exact number of Jews the
world over. As a matter of fact, Jews are 0.2 percent of the world population
but have so far won at least 166 Nobel Prizes -- three Nobel Laureates among 1.4
billion Muslims (Peace Prizes not included) and 166 among 14 million Jews.
Al-Khwarizmi, Al-Farghani and Ibn Sina were all products of the Muslim culture
that was tolerant and encouraged scholarship (including learning from
non-Muslims). Omar al-Khayyam was a product of Muslim culture that accepted
dissent. Muslim culture not only produced knowledge it also consumed knowledge
produced by non-Muslims.
Al-Khwarizmi, Al-Farghani, Ibn Sina and Omar al-Khayyam all believed in the
same Qu'ran that we do. What has changed is the ulema and their interpretation
of the same scripture.
<b>
We are now 22 per cent of the world population but a mere one percent of
scientists are Muslim. Why? Forces that preach hatred and sermonise intolerance
have hijacked Muslim culture.</b> Muslim culture no longer encourages scholarship
and penalises dissent from officially held Islamic dogmas by capital punishment.
We insist on the 'revealed truth' and block the 'quest for truth'. We haven't
produced knowledge in the past 833
years and now equate the consumption of knowledge produced by non-Muslims as
sinful.
Islamism - 4 - Shambhu - 01-19-2006
Question:
Did any of the Muslim mathematicians/poets/.... listed above approve of Babur, Aurangzeb etc. killing Hindus, destroying temples, converting by force, etc?
I suspect they did not, and if they really did not, kudos to the personalities listed in the above post.
But I always wanted to know for sure. Can anyone confirm/deny?
Jewish people have a standard of "righteousness" for a person (like whether or not that person supported anti-semitic movements). I find it very appropriate of Jewish people to do that. Why is there no such "righteousness" standard for Hindus?
Why do Hindus have to whisper and look over their shoulder to talk about the unspeakable massacres visited upon Hindu men and women and culture by Muslim invaders while Jews can proudly light menorahs at the holocaust memorial and the world knows exactly what Jewish people are talking about?
Why? Because Jews have never allowed things to be forgotten. Through sheer hard work and in the face of humongous wrongs, Jews have persevered and got to where they are. Kudos to them!!
Islamism - 4 - Guest - 01-21-2006
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Ulema, rape and cultural tests : Farrukh Saleem</b>
Friday times.com
<b>The thinking among the Muslims is increasingly conflicting with the ethos in the rest of the world</b>Â
 Â
Sheikh Abd Al-Aziz al-Fawzan is a professor of Islamic Law at Al-Imam University in Saudi Arabia. On December 16, 2005, Professor al-Fawzan gave an interview to Al-Majd TV (Arabsat 2B; Orbital position: 30.E). <b>Al-Fawzan told his audience to hate anyone âwho worships Christ, son of Maryâ adding âwhoever says âI donât hate him [i.e., a Christian)]â is not a Muslim.â </b>The Professor explains that hating a Christian âis not racismâ because such hatred is not based on his âcolour, gender, blood, country, or because he is American, European, Chinese, or Asian.â Al-Fawzan further informed his audience that such hatred should be âpositive hatredâ that guides and reforms. <!--emo&:o--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ohmy.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='ohmy.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<b>On June 17, 2005, Professor al-Fawzan explained to a TV audience as to why women should not be allowed to drive: âThese people have been blinded by what they saw there when they studied or visited there, and they want our society to be like other societies. They want it to be devoid of all values, morals, and modesty. They want women to go out on the streets all made up, like a harlot, with her face uncovered, like they see in the West. They think that the shortest and best way to reach this goal is to allow women to drive, because if a woman drives, she will reveal her face, drive without a male chaperone, will have an easy opportunity to meet all kinds of young men and women, and she will get all made up, will mix with men, and so on. I donât think that any woman, throughout human history, has been as oppressed as the Western woman today â and they still claim that they have given her freedom</b>. They took her out (of the home) in order to exploit her, to exploit her honour and dignity. Furthermore, in many countries, her salary is lower than the manâs, but she works more than him. She does not get what she wants unless she sacrifices her honour, to her bosses or co-workers. How strange! Even though they have permissiveness there, and any man can satisfy his desires outside of marriage⦠heâs not satisfied with 10 or 20. Any girl he sees, who has certain features, he wants. If she consents â fine. If not â he rapes her.â
Now to a story of a rape: a banner headline in The Sydney Morning Herald of December 10, 2005: âGang rapist claims he had a right to assault.â (Background: Four Pakistani gang rapist brothers are being tried in an Australian court). The eldest of the four brothers, in his defence, told the court: âShe was not wearing any purdah ⦠like she was not ⦠covered her face, she was not wearing any headscarf ⦠and she was singing.â The rapist admitted his crime but told the court that it was only now, since he had gained a âbetter understanding of Australian cultureâ that he knew rapes were wrong.
<b>On January 1, Germanyâs southern state of Baden-Wurttemberg decided to put all Muslims requesting German citizenship through an extensive two-hour oral âculture testâ. Questions on the test include: (1) Is it right that women obey their husbands, and for men to beat their wives when they are disobedient? (2) If your adult daughter dressed like a German woman, would you try to prevent her from doing so? (3) What are your views on bigamy? (4) Would you let your child take part in school swimming lessons? (5) If your son told you he was homosexual and wanted to live with another man, how would you react? (6) What do your think of the fact that parents forcibly marry off their children? Do you think such marriages are compatible with human dignity?</b>
The new âculture testâ is mandatory for applicants from the 57 OIC member-countries. According to official sources the <b>âtest is designed to weed out those Muslims who express views that go against Germanyâs social policiesâ. </b>The âculture testâ is the first of its kind in Europe but other European countries are also considering implementing similar tests. In Hollandâs Tweede Kamer , the legislative branch, a similar proposal for intending Muslim immigrants was tabled but no law has yet been passed.
To be certain, there are three million Muslims in Germany and Baden-Wurttemberg may only be reacting to a recent surge of violence by young Muslims against homosexuals and women. <b>In Amsterdam, Chris Crain, chief editor of US gay magazine the Washington Blade , was attacked by a group of Muslim youth who âkicked and punched him to the groundâ.</b>
A consensus is emerging in the developed international community that their potential citizens ought to believe in certain fundamental human values like women rights, a violence-free society, sexual preferences and school sports. Muslim immigrants who pass the test will be given German passport but those Muslims who violate Germanyâs social policies will have their passports revoked.
<b>The Muslim world needs to look deep inside for answers to why Muslims are being singled out for the âculture testâ. </b>
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Islamism - 4 - Bhootnath - 01-24-2006
Madarsas, C++ & Secularism for Indian Elite
well ...
look at what the would be ' Ex-Migrants of Bangladesh have done to Communal Hindu '
[edited]
Islamism - 4 - Guest - 01-28-2006
Things that Offend Islam By Barbara J. Stock
A "Jane-6 pack's" view. Not quite correct, but one gets the idea.
Islamism - 4 - Naresh - 02-02-2006
<b>Muhammad cartoon row intensifies</b> <!--emo&:flush--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<b>Newspapers across Europe have reprinted caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad to show support for a Danish paper whose cartoons have sparked Muslim outrage.
France Soir, Germany's Die Welt, La Stampa in Italy and El Periodico in Spain all carried some of the drawings.</b>
Their publication in Denmark has led to protests in Arab nations, diplomatic sanctions and death threats.
Islamic tradition bans depictions of the Prophet, but media watchdogs defend press freedom to publish the images.
Reporters Without Borders said the reaction in the Arab world "betrays a lack of understanding" of press freedom as "an essential accomplishment of democracy."
<b>'Sense of sacred'</b>
In Berlin, the prominent daily Die Welt ran a front-page caricature of the prophet wearing a headdress shaped like a bomb.
The paper argued there was a right to blaspheme in the West, and asked whether Islam was capable of coping with satire.
<b>"The protests from Muslims would be taken more seriously <span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>if they were less hypocritical," it wrote in an editorial.
France Soir said it had reprinted the full set to show that "religious dogma" had no place in a secular society.
Under the headline "Yes, we have the right to caricature God", the daily carried a front-page cartoon of Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim and Christian gods floating on a cloud.
It shows the Christian deity saying: "Don't complain, Muhammad, we've all been caricatured here."</span></b>
Responding to France Soir's move, the French government said it supported press freedom - but added that beliefs and religions must be respected.
French Muslims spoke out against the pictures.
The president of the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), Dalil Boubakeur, described France Soir's move as an act of "real provocation towards the millions of Muslims living in France".
Theologian Sohaib Bencheikh said "one must find the borders between freedom of expression and freedom to protect the sacred".
"Unfortunately, the West has lost its sense of the sacred," he wrote in a column accompanying the cartoons in France Soir.
<b>Sanctions</b>
The publication in Denmark of the images last September has provoked diplomatic sanctions and threats from Islamic militants across the Muslim world.
Dozens of protesters from a small Islamic party demonstrated in front of the Danish embassy in Ankara on Wednesday, the Associated Press reports.
Ministers from 17 Arab countries on Tuesday urged Denmark's government to punish Jyllands-Posten, the Danish newspaper that first published the caricatures, for what they described as an "offence to Islam".
Thousands of Palestinians demonstrated this week in the Gaza Strip.
Syria and Saudi Arabia have recalled their ambassadors to Denmark, while Libya said it was closing its embassy in Copenhagen and Iraq summoned the Danish envoy to condemn the cartoons.
The offices of Jyllands-Posten, had to be evacuated on Tuesday because of a bomb threat.
The paper had apologised a day earlier for causing offence to Muslims, although it maintained it was legal under Danish law to print them.
Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen welcomed the paper's apology, but defended the freedom of the press.
Cheers <!--emo&:beer--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Islamism - 4 - Guest - 02-02-2006
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Muslim girl ostracised for learning Bharatanatyam! In Kerala</b>
(By S. Chandrasekhar )
www.organiser.org
Kerala has always been a model to the world. While in earlier days it was social reformers like Adi Sankara, Sree Narayana Guru, etc. in modern times it is its predominance in education, health care, land reforms etc. Now Kerala is becoming a model for the wrong reasonsâ Communalisation and Islamisation of the education sector, thanks to the dominance of the Muslim League Ministers in this crucial portfolio.
Majority of the schools, colleges, B.Ed. Colleges, Medical and Engineering Colleges and Nursing institutions in North Kerala are under the control of Muslims. In addition to these thousands of madrasas are functioning in the State with funding from the state sponsored Wakf Board.
While last week it was the case of Muslim students of a Christian Management School being prevented from going on their annual excursion because the itenary consisted Churches, this week it is the case of a Muslim girl and her family facing social ostracism because she is learning Bharatanatyam and Keralanatanam. V.P. Rubiya, daughter of Alavikutty is a class 10 student at Morayur High School, Kondotty, Malappuram District. She started learning Bharatanatyam, traditional Kerala dances and folk dances out of burning desire to participate in the State School Arts Festival. The local Mosque ordered her to desist from this move. <b>When Rubiya resisted and continued with her resolved, she and her family were subjected to ostracism. They were kept out of the Mosque and other Muslims were warned against dealing with them. They were denied the relief given during Ramzan. The parents fear that they may not be able to find a bridegroom for the girl since no imam will solemnise the wedding of a family ostracised by a mosque. </b>
Undaunted by the threat and due to the support of her family and teachers, the girl participated in the festival and won prizes in the categories.
<b>
We have heard of books on Kathakali, Bharatanatyam and Indian Culture being confiscated and destroyed in Airports of Saudi Arabia, but what is happening in Kerala, a highly educated state, is shameful. Will the communists who shout from the roof-top against communalism wake up or will they shut their eyes in these days of vote-bank politics and elections.</b>
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Islamism - 4 - Naresh - 02-02-2006
A Vista of the Peaceful Religion :
<b>CARTOONS</b>
<b>PICTURE GALLERY</b>
<b>ISLAMIC I T</b>
Cheers <!--emo&:beer--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Islamism - 4 - Guest - 02-05-2006
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Link
Abu Jihad, 43, who was born in Pakistan, added that the cartoonist and the editors of the papers should be killed.
"It is very clear: Anyone who insults the Prophet must be beheaded. Remember van Gogh?" he said, referring to the Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh who was murdered in 2004 for his controversial film about Islam.
"Whoever did it, bless him. Islam is peace but you see there will only be peace when Islam is implemented across the world. In the Prophet's time anyone who insulted the Prophet was beheaded. The same should happen now." <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Islamism - 4 - Shambhu - 02-05-2006
Quoting from Ali Sina's "Why I left Islam" article (see Naresh's links and click on "Leaving Islam")
Until few years ago I used to think that my faith in Islam was not based on blind imitation but rather was the result of years of investigation and research. The fact that I had read a lot of books on Islam, written by people whose thoughts I approved of and delving into philosophies that were within my comfort zone, emphasized my conviction that I had found the truth. All my biased research confirmed my faith. Just like other Muslims I used to believe that to learn about anything one has to go to the source. <b>Now you may thing that the source of Islam is the Quran and the hadith. That might be so in theory. But in practice few Muslims read these books to understand them. Muslims get their their information about Islam by reading the books written by scholars of Islam. These are apologetic books that deceitfully try to portray Islam in the best lights, showing that Muhammad was a holy man and the Quran is a "scientific book". </b>Therefore, I felt no need to look elsewhere in order to find the truth, as I was convinced that I have already found it. As Muslims say âTalabe ilm baâd az wossule maâloom mazmoomâ. The search of knowledge after gaining it is unwise.
Islamism - 4 - Bharatvarsh - 02-06-2006
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip â Rage against caricatures of Islam's revered prophet poured out across the Muslim world Saturday, with aggrieved believers calling for executions, storming European buildings and setting European flags afire.
Hundreds of Syrian demonstrators have stormed the Danish Embassy in Damascus, and they've set fire to the building.
The building that's been set on fire in the Syrian capital also houses the embassies of Chile and Sweden.
Protesters have been staging sit-ins outside the embassy almost daily since the uproar over the drawings broke out last week.
Witnesses say today's protest started peacefully, but that as anger escalated, protesters broke through police barriers and torched the building.
In Gaza City, demonstrators hurled stones at a European Commission building and stormed a German cultural center, smashing windows and doors. Protesters also burned German and Danish flags and called for a boycott of Danish products.
In the West Bank town of Hebron, about 50 Palestinians marched to the headquarters of the international observer mission there, burned a Danish flag and demanded a boycott of Danish goods.
"We will redeem our prophet, Muhammad, with our blood!" they chanted.
The cartoons, first printed in a Danish newspaper in September and then republished in European publications this week, have touched a raw nerve in part because Islamic law is interpreted to forbid any depictions of the Prophet Muhammad. Aggravating the affront was a caricature of Muhammad wearing a turban shaped as a bomb with a burning fuse, among other provocative images.
Muslims in Europe have reacted less passionately than their counterparts in the Mideast and Southeast Asia, but anger swelled there, too, on Saturday, with demonstrators clashing with police in Copenhagen and gathering outside the Danish Embassy in London.
The Vatican deplored the violence but said certain forms of criticism represented an "unacceptable provocation."
"The right to freedom of thought and expression ... cannot entail the right to offend the religious sentiment of believers," the Vatican said in its first statement on the controversy.
In Munich, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she understood Muslims' hurt, but she denounced violent reactions.
"I can understand that religious feelings of Muslims have been injured and violated," Merkel said at an international security conference. "But I also have to make clear that I feel it is unacceptable to see this as legitimizing the use of violence."
Hundreds of Palestinians protested in the occupied territories, and the leader of the Islamic militant group Hamas, which recently swept parliamentary elections there, told Italian daily Il Giornale on Saturday that the cartoons should be punished by death.
"We should have killed all those who offend the Prophet and instead here we are, protesting peacefully," said a top group leader, Mahmoud Zahar.
Masked gunmen affiliated with the Fatah Party called on the Palestinian Authority and Muslim nations to recall their diplomatic missions from Denmark until that nation's government apologizes.
The Danish government has tried to contain the damage. Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller has called Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and said the Danish government "cannot accept an assault against Islam," according to Abbas' office.
Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said his government could not apologize on behalf of a newspaper, but he personally would never depict religious figures "in a way that could offend other people."
Many Muslims consider the Danish government's reaction inadequate.
At least 500 Israeli Arabs gathered peacefully in Nazareth for the first protest against the caricatures on Israeli soil.
In Malaysia, prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the publication of the cartoons showed a "blatant disregard for Islamic sensitivities" but urged citizens to stay calm.
"Let the perpetrators of the insult see the gravity of their own mistakes which only they themselves can and should correct," he said.
In Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono denounced the cartoons as insensitive.
About 500 people rallied Saturday south of Baghdad, Iraq, some carrying banners urging "honest people all over the world to condemn this act" and demanding an EU apology. The protest was organized by followers of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who has been among the most outspoken Iraqi clerics on the issue.
Angry demonstrators rallied in Denmark and Britain on Saturday, signaling a ratcheting up of tensions among European Muslims.
Although many of Denmark's 200,000 Muslims were deeply offended by the cartoons, mass demonstrations have not broken out.
But in Copenhagen, young Muslims clashed briefly with police after they were stopped from boarding a train to go to a demonstration north of the Danish capital. Some of the roughly 300 demonstrators threw rocks and bottles at police but no one was injured, officials said.
In London, several hundred demonstrators gathered under heavy police security outside Denmark's embassy, shouting slogans to protest the publication of the drawings.
Source: Fox News <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Lebanese protesters torch Danish mission
Muslims upset over Muhammad caricatures; Danes urged to leave Lebanon
Updated: 10:11 a.m. ET Feb. 5, 2006
BEIRUT, Lebanon - Thousands of Muslims rampaged Sunday in Beirut, setting fire to the Danish Embassy, burning Danish flags and lobbing stones at a Maronite Catholic church as violent protests spread over caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.
Troops fired bullets into the air and used tear gas and water cannons to push the crowds back after a small group of Islamic extremists tried to break through the security barrier outside the embassy.
Demonstrators attacked policemen with stones and set fire to several fire engines, witnesses said. Black smoke was seen billowing from the area. Security officials said at least 18 people were injured, including policemen, fire fighters and protesters. Witnesses saw at least 10 people taken away by ambulance.
A security official, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press, said staff at the Danish Embassy had been evacuated two days ago.
âIt is a critical situationâ
The Danish Foreign Ministry urged Danes to leave Lebanon as soon as possible as Danes and Norwegians heeded a similar call in neighboring Syria, where violent protests broke out on Saturday.
âIt is a critical situation and it is very serious,â Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller said Sunday on Danish public radio.
Protesters also took to the streets in Afghanistan, the West Bank, Iraq and New Zealand, a day after demonstrators in Syria charged security barriers outside the Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus and sent the buildings up in flames.
Those attacks earned widespread condemnation from European nations and the U.S., which accused the Syrian government of backing the protests.
The Danish foreign minister said: âenough is enough.â
âNow it has become more than a case about the drawings: Now there are forces that wants a confrontation between our cultures,â Moeller said. âIt is in no oneâs interest, neither them or us.â
Syria blamed Denmark for the protests, criticizing the Scandinavian nation for refusing to apologize for the caricatures of Islamâs holiest figure.
â(Denmarkâs) government was able to avoid reaching this point ... simply through an apologyâ as requested by Arab and Muslim diplomats, state-run daily Al-Thawra said in an editorial Sunday.
âIt is unjustifiable under any kind of personal freedoms to allow a person or a group to insult the beliefs of millions of Muslims,â the paper said.
Rising anger
Anger has broken out across the Muslim world over 12 caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad that were first published in Denmarkâs Jyllands-Posten in September and reprinted in European media and New Zealand in the past week.
One depicted the prophet wearing a turban shaped as a bomb with a burning fuse. The paper said it had asked cartoonists to draw the pictures because the media was practicing self-censorship when it came to Muslim issues.
The drawings have touched a raw nerve in part because Islamic law is interpreted to forbid any depictions of the Prophet Muhammad for fear they could lead to idolatry.
Denmarkâs Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said he personally disapproves of the caricatures and any attacks on religion â but insisted he cannot apologize on behalf of his countryâs independent press.
Violence criticized
Lebanonâs Grand Mufti Mohammed Rashid Kabbani denounced the violence and appealed for calm, accusing infiltrators of sowing the dissent to âharm the stability of Lebanon.â
Prime Minister Fuad Saniora also urged peaceful protests.
âThose who are committing these acts have nothing to do with Islam or with Lebanon,â he said. âThis is absolutely not the way we express our opinions.â
In Beirut, protesters came by the busloads to rally outside the Danish Embassy, where they chanted, âThere is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God!â Some 2,000 troops and riot police were deployed.
The trouble threatened to rile sectarian tensions in Beirut when protesters began stoning St. Maroun Church, one of the cityâs main Maronite Catholic churches, and property in Ashrafieh, a Christian area. Sectarian tension is a sensitive issue in Lebanon, where Muslims and Christian fought a 15-year civil war that ended in 1990.
Lebanonâs Justice Minister Charles Rizk, a Christian, urged leaders to help end the violence. <span style='color:red'>âWhat is the guilt of the citizens of Ashrafieh of caricatures that were published in Denmark?</span> This sabotage should stop,â Rizk said on LBC television.
In the Afghan city of Mihtarlam, some 3,000 demonstrators burned a Danish flag and demanded that the editors at the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten be prosecuted for blasphemy, Gov. Sher Mohammed Safi said.
Some 1,000 people tried to march to the offices of the United Nations and other aid groups in Fayzabad. Police fired shots into the air to disperse them, officials said. Nobody was hurt.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai expressed anger over the cartoons but said Danish troops and other citizens should feel safe in his country.
âItâs not the responsibility of Danish troops, itâs not the responsibility of Danish government, itâs the free media. ... We must not hold the troops who are serving in Afghanistan responsible for this,â he said Sunday on CNNâs âLate Edition.â
In the West Bank city of Ramallah, students in uniform â age 13 and even younger â carried protest posters and shouted: âNo to offending our prophet.â
In Iraq, about 1,000 Sunni Muslims demonstrated outside a mosque in the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi. A giant banner read: âIraq must end political, diplomatic, cultural and economic relations with the European countries that supported the Danish insult against Prophet Muhammad and all Muslims.â
Another 1,000 supporters of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr rallied in Amarah, denouncing Denmark, Israel and the United States and demanding that Danish and Norwegian diplomats be expelled.
More than 700 Muslims marched through Auckland, New Zealandâs largest city, to protest the cartoonsâ publication in two New Zealand newspapers.
Austria, which holds the rotating EU presidency, condemned the attacks on European embassies: âSuch acts can by no means be legitimized and are utterly unacceptable.â
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier pushed for intercultural dialogue.
âWe all agree that words and deeds that insult or ridicule other religions or cultures do not contribute to mutual understanding,â he said at a security conference in Germany. âBoth freedom of the press ... and freedom of religion are great liberties â those who use them must use them with care.â
© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
See religion of peace in action, also it looks like some unfortunate Hindus will get halaled in India in the coming weeks by Muslims, before they murdered 10 Hindus because Jerry Falwell said Muhammad was a terrorist in US and they burned buses in Bangalore over Saddam's capture, now it looks like its just a matter of time they will do some nutter thing over these cartoons. In a few days some Hindu leader might be asking:
What is the guilt of the citizens of India of caricatures that were published in Denmark?
Islamism - 4 - Guest - 02-06-2006
I am surprised why there is no reaction from Indian Muslim except I have seen big chest beating from known anti-India/Hindu Yahoo group. They are scream but no reaction/action on ground in India. Either all Mullahs are still busy in Haj trip or all gangsters are on run or Urdu press is sleeping.
Islamism - 4 - Guest - 02-06-2006
<!--c1-->CODE<!--ec1-->[quote=Bharatvarsh,Feb 6 2006, 09:10 AM]
[quote]GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip â Rage against caricatures of Islam's revered prophet poured out across the Muslim world Saturday, with aggrieved believers calling for executions, storming European buildings and setting European flags afire. in the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi. A giant banner read: âIraq must end political, diplomatic, cultural and economic relations with the European countries that supported the Danish insult against Prophet Muhammad and all Muslims.â
Muhammad was a terrorist in US and they burned buses in Bangalore over Saddam's capture, now it looks like its just a matter of time they will do some nutter thing over these cartoons. In a few days some Hindu leader might be asking:
What is the guilt of the citizens of India of caricatures that were published in Denmark?
[right][snapback]46357[/snapback][/right]
[/quote]<!--c2--><!--ec2-->
May be GOI should declare 7 days of national mourning to show their secularism and protest against grave injustice done to holy religion of crescent. <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> They should invite MFHussain to express official GOI grief.
Madamji should stop using Danish butter to show solidarity with minority. If she likes she can try Amul or desi ghee (bit difficult to digest though) though it may not be palatable to her First World tastes.
MMS Paaji should make a national broadcast to minority and shed some tears on television and grant 1 million free Hajj trips per year as a consolation.
Amen.
Islamism - 4 - Guest - 02-06-2006
There you go..
http://ia.rediff.com/news/2006/feb/06proph...?q=np&file=.htm
Islamism - 4 - Guest - 02-06-2006
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--> Abuse, not freedom
The Pioneer Edit Desk
The raging protest by Muslims against the publication of cartoons lampooning Prophet Mohammed in some European newspapers underscores the danger of being insensitive towards religious faith and belief. A Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, invited cartoonists to render their perception of Mohammed and Islam; 12 such renditions were later published by the daily, igniting the slow fuse of fury and retribution.
As Muslim protest gathered force, a French tabloid, France Soir, republished the cartoons and leading European dailies as well as television news channels gave them wide publicity, claiming that freedom of the Press must be accorded precedence over religious sensitivity. This only served the purpose of heightening Muslim anger and subsequently Jyllands-Posten offered an apology while the editor of France Soir was sacked. But by then the damage had been done: Across the world, Muslims in Islamic countries are burning the Norwegian flag, attacking Norwegian missions and boycotting Norwegian products.
Saudi Arabia, Syria and Libya have recalled their Ambassadors and the Danish Government is now engaged in trying to douse a fire that could lead to an undesirable conflagration. Hopefully, the protests will not spread any further and the damage will be contained. The pro-active role of the Danish Prime Minister in distancing his Government from the scandalous misuse of press freedom should convince community leaders to rein in Islamists who have seized upon this act of callous indiscretion by some newspapers to push their own agenda.
Having said that, it merits reiteration that much of the outpouring of anger and disquiet is entirely justified. The West must acknowledge and accept that neither the freedom of the Press nor the right to offend provides for disregarding religious sensitivities. This is not the first time that non-Christians have been subjected to Western indifference and, what some would describe as, intentional ridicule. In the past, Hindu gods and goddesses have been used as decorative motifs on footwear and under garments. Anti-Semitism has manifested itself in various forms across Europe and America, violating all notions of human dignity.
To brush aside protests against such gratuitous offence, as has been done by Western newspapers in their editorial pages in recent days, as the inability of immigrants to assimilate their host country's cultural ethos or accept the limitless freedom afforded by democracies, is to trivialise the larger issues of tolerance and restraint. Those who have published the repugnant cartoons have demonstrated that for all its talk of democracy and freedom, the West is yet to assimilate tolerance and restraint in its cultural ethos.
That's a pity. As the latest instance of the West seeking to impose its version of that which is permissible shows, abuse of freedom can have consequences whose tremors could be felt beyond the boundaries of Europe and the US. Those Muslims who have refused to be swayed by the rhetoric and violence of Islamists are being increasingly forced to take a position which will strengthen the very forces that are inimical to freedom, democracy and plurality.
This is not a clash of cultures that we are witnessing, but a shameful attempt to foist cultural hegemony by the West. This is not about the indisputable need for immigrants, in this particular instance Muslims, to follow the law of their host countries, but an abominable demand that they must disown and disparage all that which they hold sacred in order to be accepted. The stinging rebuke, therefore, is well-deserved.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Islamism - 4 - Bharatvarsh - 02-06-2006
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Having said that, it merits reiteration that much of the outpouring of anger and disquiet is entirely justified. The West must acknowledge and accept that neither the freedom of the Press nor the right to offend provides for disregarding religious sensitivities. This is not the first time that non-Christians have been subjected to Western indifference and, what some would describe as, intentional ridicule. In the past, Hindu gods and goddesses have been used as decorative motifs on footwear and under garments. Anti-Semitism has manifested itself in various forms across Europe and America, violating all notions of human dignity.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yes it is justified, everyone has a right to protest but the Muslim reaction is not entirely justified (burning embassies?) and neither is the West under any obligation to acknowledge anything, the foundations of its instituitions have been built on Free speech and freedom of press etc and if people don't like that they can always go back and how far will this go?, for many Muslims the mere existence of Hindus is a cause for offense so should Hindus all convert or commit suicide? Muslims also find it offensive that Hindu processions with music are taken through streets so should we stop them also?, tomorrow they might say that all the VOI books are offensive so should we oblige and ban them to protect the sensiblities of this medieval community?
Islamism - 4 - Guest - 02-06-2006
<b>The Prophet row: Students, cops clash in Delhi</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->About 2,000 students of the Jamia Milia Islamia University clashed with police on Monday when they were stopped on their way to the Danish embassy to protest against caricatures of Prophet Mohammed.
Prophet Mohammed caricatures had appeared in a Danish newspaper.
Police said the students started to gather on the Janpath Road in central Delhi in the afternoon and wanted to go to the Danish embassy to protest.
"When we tried to stop them, they started pelting us with stones," said Manish Agarwal, additional deputy commissioner of police
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Here comes reaction from Muslim students in India. On Friday expect some more.
One will never see such anger on beheading or torching of train from Muslims, but they become sensitive when pampered lot world wide see something funny about their religion.
Islamism - 4 - Guest - 02-06-2006
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Catholic Priest Shot, Killed at Church in Turkey</b>
Sunday, February 05, 2006
ANKARA, Turkey â A teenage boy shot and killed the Italian Roman Catholic priest of a church in the Black Sea port city of Trabzon on Sunday, shouting "God is great" as he escaped, according to police and witnesses.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->- Danish Embassy in Indonesia and Thailand close.
_ Danish representation in Brussels, Belgium closed today. There was a peaceful demonstration here on Sunday, attended by 4000 muslims, but the Danish representation decided to close dsiregarding.
- Lebanon apologizes to Denmark over riots in Beirut.
- Sterling airline stops flying from Denmark to Egypt.
- Pakistan refuses to use Danish medicine.
- At least one person killed in the Beirut riots.
The Danish foreign ministry advises against travel in Marocco, Algeria, Tunesia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kuwait.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Islamism - 4 - Guest - 02-06-2006
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan today is reported by Zaman Online to have said:
"Killing a priest in a holy place can't be approved."</b>
Something may have been lost in the translation, but there are too many "outs" here for this to be considered condemnation.
Killing a priest ... is it OK to kill anyone else?
Killing in a holy place ... is it OK to kill in a non-holy site?
Can't be approved ... Why not say, "This is wrong."
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Islamism - 4 - Guest - 02-06-2006
<b>BBC defends cartoon coverage</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->"[The BBC has] taken the view that still images that focus and linger on the offending cartoons would be excessively offensive so we haven't used those in our television news pieces.
"We've used moving pictures of the newspapers where they've appeared to show people the context in which they've appeared and to give them some flavour of the type of imagery but without focusing closely on them."
<b>The BBC faced criticism from both British Muslims, who said the images were "disrespectful", and from viewers who said not shown enough of the cartoons were shown.</b> <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> "You cannot report a news subject relating to a visual matter without showing that matter," said Lawrie May, one of the complainants.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd--> <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->