Arrogance born of ignorance
SIDE COMMENTARY by Quentin C. Fortis, of Perth:
Dr Patrick Sookhdeo quotes the late Kalim Siddiqui, who arrived in Britain in 1954, and wrote during 1988-89 "At some stage we may have to engage in a campaign of civil disobedience ..." (p 95)
In another place Siddiqui wrote "... Islam became the dominant civilization of the Arabian Peninsula in the lifetime of the Prophet ... remained the dominant civilization of the world for more than a thousand years ..." (p 96) He is one of the many Muslim writers who do not understand world history -- for example, while Muslim Arabs were attacking and conquering their neighbours, they had no idea that the American civilisations such as the Incas and Aztecs even existed. They were probably largely ignorant of the great Chinese civilisation, and of the Viking-Norseman and Celtic civilisations, which they never conquered, and the west African kingdoms. The marvellous Eastern Roman (i.e., Byzantine) civilisation withstood the attacks of the Persians (Zoroastrians, who stole Syria, Palestine, and Egypt in the period AD 614 to 619, which is BEFORE Mohammed left Mecca for Yathrib, renamed Medina, in 622). In spite of Islamic and other attacks and peace treaties interspersed with Islamic raids and attacks for centuries, the Byzantine civilisation continued shining, spreading its influence into Russia, where it outlived the fall of Constantinople. But, to put the word "civilisation" into context, let me quote that during the siege of Constantinople, on April 29, 1453 the Orthodox "Christian" Byzantines beheaded 260 Ottoman prisoners. Constantinople fell to Ottoman Turkish Islamists on May 29, 1453 -- that's a long, long time after Islamic civilisation supposedly started being the "dominant" civilisation for 1000 years! And Mistra and Trebizond did not fall until 1460 and 1461 respectively. (D. Nicolle, J.Haldon, and S.Turnbull, 2007, The fall of Constantinople, Osprey Publishing, Oxford and New York, p 13) No-one who knows that Spain and Portugal, after Columbus's first voyage in 1492, stole the two Americas from the inhabitants and became the dominant powers in the Atlantic Ocean and beyond, will believe Kalim Siddiqui's boast. But Islam is full of unreal beliefs. And in his own way, with his belief in Christianity, this latest book by Dr Sookhdeo exposes Islam's arrogance born of ignorance. |
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Shows examples of the finest craftsmanship, from exquisite manuscript illumination and jewellery to intricately adorned metalwork, textiles and ceramics, with a fascinating commentary on the symbolism used and the underlying beliefs represented.
Provides a historical and cultural overview that traces the expansion of Islam across continents and cultures, revealing both uniformity and diversity of art and practices.
Unrivalled coverage of the great Islamic kingdoms and empires of history, featuring beautiful buildings such as Ottoman Turkey's Selimiye Mosque and spectacular sites such as the Alhambra palace complex in Moorish Spain. (adapted from back cover)
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ONE of Iran's youngest female political prisoners has been granted permanent residency in Australia, after being imprisoned for 29 days for campaigning for women's rights in Tehran.
[Picture] My Life as a Traitor front cover. Picture: Scribe Publications Zarah Ghahramani was just 20 when she was taken off the streets of Tehran and transported to Evin, a prison the size of a small town, on the outskirts of the city. The prison is used by the Iranian regime to hold political prisoners. She was beaten, and her head was shaved. On release, she was dumped in a desert and stripped of her right to attend university. She was helped out of Iran by the Australian writer Robert Hillman, who has helped her write a book about the experience: My Life as a Traitor. Hillman met Ghahramani in June 2003, when he was standing on a Tehran street corner, notebook in hand. Ghahramani, who had only recently been released, noted his Western looks, walked boldly up to him and asked him if they could talk. … Iranian women are trying to collect a million signatures to force the Iranian regime to make changes that would give them the right to have access to their children after divorce, to give women's evidence the same weight as that of a man in court and the right of women to work in different professions. […] -- The Weekend Australian, "Iranian 'traitor' finds her freedom," by Caroline Overington, p 10, June 23-24, 2007 |
Infidel: My Life, January 2007, By Ayaan Hirsi ALI
The astonishing life story of the renowned campaigner for religious tolerance and women's rights, Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
The brutal murder of the Dutch film-maker Theo van Gogh in 2004 shocked the world. Shot and mutilated by a Muslim fanatic as he cycled to work, it was a stark reminder of the dangers of challenging an extreme Islamic worldview. It also changed the life of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, van Gogh's collaborator on the film that had offended his murderer. Born in Somalia and raised a Muslim, she had escaped an arranged marriage and made a new life as a Dutch parliamentarian, championing the reform of Islam and its attitude to women's rights. She now has twenty-four-hour police protection, but refuses to let that inhibit her willingness to speak out. THE INFIDEL is Ayaan Hirsi Ali's astonishing story. Recounting the extraordinary transition from a third-world upbringing to her current status as one of TIME magazine's 100 most influential people in the world, it is a truly remarkable autobiography that is as gripping as it is inspiring. # (Booktopia synopsis) |
The Everlasting Hatred: The Roots of Jihad, 2002, by Hal LINDSEY.
Author Hal Lindsey explains how, on Sept. 11, an ancient fight-to-the-death conflict exploded on the shores of the U.S. Though most Americans didn't realize it, we were already involved in this struggle. A struggle driven by a hatred that goes back over 4,000 years.
Islamic fundamentalism's purpose is to replace the Judeo-Christian world order with an Islamic world order. Every American needs to understand the enormity of the threat we face -- and why. In the aftermath of 9/11 most Americans are asking: This book will answer these questions with both Biblical and secular history. It will also bring new hope to the coming "perilous times." Hal Lindsey's Acknowledgment I would like to thank my friend, Joe Farah, CEO of the news website, www.world netdaily.com , for his indispensable help in researching this book. He is a brilliant reporter and writer and he helped me in many ways during the course of this work. I would also like to give a special thanks to author, historian and reporter, Joan Peters. Her best-selling book, From Time Immemorial, has been my constant companion and reference source for over fifteen years. This is the most accurate, best researched and documented work I have found on the secular issues of modern Israeli-Arab conflict. I strongly recommend this book. It can be purchased through: www.world netdaily.com . |
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Page 472; Sūrat 8, Āyat 12
12. Remember thy Lord inspired The angels (with the message): "I am with you: give Firmness to the Believers: I will instil terror Into the hearts of the Unbelievers: Smite ye above their necks And smite all their Finger-tips off them." < www.submission.org/suras/sura8.html#12 > |
Pages 507-8; Sūrat 9, Āyat 30
30. The Jews call ‘Uzair a son Of Allah, and the Christians Call Christ the Son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouth; (In this) they but imitate What the Unbelievers of old Used to say. Allah's curse Be on them: how they are deluded Away from the Truth! < www.submission.org/suras/sura9.html#30 > |
[…] Certainly, radical Islam is not how the religion is practiced by the majority of Muslims, who are nonviolent. … the radicals … their message would not find the success it has were there not some supporting basis within Islam. Three "supports" for their message are
Kharijism, Wahhabism, and jihad.
Not to "help police with their investigations", as they still say during police manhunts, but to help a stunned nation understand what had happened to it.
Like dozens of other reporters, I walked the streets of Leeds talking to the friends and families of three of the July 7 bombers in an unsuccessful attempt to understand how three boys born there and a fourth who had emigrated from Jamaica as a baby had turned into homegrown Islamic terrorists, young men capable of playing a friendly game of cricket one summer evening and then blowing up trains and buses jammed with their fellow Britons the next morning.
Mukhtar Mai came to prominence in June 2002, when journalists in Pakistan first learned of her gang rape, punishment for an 'honour crime' allegedly committed by her brother, an offence for which there was never any proof.