February 06, 2006

Iran: Holocaust Cartoon Contest

According to South Park, it takes precisely 7.5 years for something to go from tragedy to comedy. Hence, AIDS is funny. However, I think leaving aside Eric Cartman, we can all agree that the Holocaust will never be funny. Wait. Maybe Cartman is actually Iranian?

Via Blogs of War this from The Times Online:

IranÂ’s biggest-selling newspaper has waded into the Muhammad controversy by launching a competition to find the 12 "best" cartoons about the Holocaust.

Farid Mortazavi, graphics editor for Tehran's Hamshahri newspaper, said that the deliberately inflammatory contest would test out how committed Europeans were to the concept freedom of expression.

"The Western papers printed these sacrilegious cartoons on the pretext of freedom of expression, so letÂ’s see if they mean what they say and also print these Holocaust cartoons," he said....

Mr Mortazavi said that tomorrow's edition of the paper would invite cartoonists to enter the competition, with gold coins as prizes for the 12 winning artists -- the same number of cartoons that appeared in the conservative Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten lighting the touchpaper for fury which has swept around the Islamic world.

What's so odd about this is that the Iranian dude actually makes a bit of a good point. In many European countries, Holocaust denial is a crime, something antithetical to the very principle we are trying to uphold here. How sad that such a pig would have to make that point....

Posted by: Rusty at 08:59 PM | Comments (80) | Add Comment
Post contains 243 words, total size 2 kb.

1 I assume Mr. Mortazavi will underline his point by reprinting the twelve Jyllands-Posten cartoons.

Posted by: Flea at February 06, 2006 09:21 PM (CkqNa)

2 Perhaps we should then send a few cruise missiles, the way of the iranian embassies, burn the odd flag etc. We shouldn't be hearing any complaints, afterall, its just business as usual for them.

Posted by: MathewK at February 06, 2006 09:44 PM (pVHqF)

3 Does that mean that Hitler=Muhammed? Maybe I'll submit a few cartoons along those lines myself.

Posted by: Klaus at February 06, 2006 10:05 PM (nNRgX)

4 So they think the answer to mocking the "Prophet" with cartoons, and challenging free speech, is to actually attack history (instead of Religion) and make fun of the genocide of the Israeli people -- should we take this as another of their threats to wipe out Israel ? The next Mohammed cartoon I want to see, is one painted on the side of a Tomahawk heading to Iran, preferably with something witty painted underneath, like Behold, I bring you your Virgins -Express

Posted by: dave at February 06, 2006 10:16 PM (CcXvt)

5 what do you think Iran is up do? Does what's-his-name have a game-plan here?

Posted by: heroic Dreamer at February 06, 2006 10:16 PM (aH6Zf)

6 أنتم أعداء الله عقاب الله آت لا محالة يا أبناء القردة والخنازير

Posted by: إبن الإسلام at February 06, 2006 11:12 PM (dcvZ2)

7 to ابن الاسلام You are a true and genuine example of a banckrupt fundementalist retard whose brains consist of multiple layers of NOTHING. there are no sons of pigs, or sons of monkeys (as you put it) but you, and those who raised you to become the psychopathic idiot you turned out to be...tfoooo

Posted by: human at February 06, 2006 11:37 PM (htTir)

8 Heroic.. I was pondering that. The Iranian Hitler is just itching to be attacked. It makes me think he's got an ace hidden somewhere. I just hope it's not hidden in the US in the form of a suitcase.

Posted by: Richard at February 06, 2006 11:47 PM (W8EsU)

9 Now we can see the double standard of the Christian Europe. Denying Holocaust is our freedom of expression. But in Europe it is a crime. Shame on you Europeans. You are launching another Crusade? As Ahmedi Nejad rightly put it " If you, the Europeans, are responsible for the so called Holocaust 'the myth', then you give a piece of land for the Jews. Why did you establish such a country, one of the most terrorist countries in the world, Israel, behind only to the United States, No. 1 terrorist country in the world, in the heart of in Palastine.

Posted by: Ashfaq P K at February 06, 2006 11:50 PM (3NTIN)

10 >>>Denying Holocaust is our freedom of expression. Assfag puke, shut your stinking hole you filthy terrorist. There's no reasoning with animals like you.

Posted by: Jesusland Carlos at February 07, 2006 12:08 AM (8e/V4)

11 I can't believe I'm hearing "freedom of expression" and Iran uttered in the same sentence. Like the freedom Kazemi had to express herself.

Posted by: jonny at February 07, 2006 01:02 AM (nytWC)

12 The US is the Number 1 Terrorist, wow. Anyone heard that lame excuse for terrorism trotted out, 'one mans terrorist is another mans hero'. Guess what Assfaqed PK, it works both ways too, Uncle Sam my Hero...

Posted by: MathewK at February 07, 2006 01:39 AM (pVHqF)

13 I think soon its going to get to the point where we will be forced to deport all Muslims out of civilized countries. Send them back, and put a big fence around the Muslim countries to keep them in.

Posted by: Bob at February 07, 2006 02:30 AM (JuSUs)

14 Either Islamo-fascist or Nazi comments here. Humanism is really on vacation these days.

Posted by: Ricky at February 07, 2006 02:44 AM (MlP5a)

15 And when there are protests consisting only of strongly-worded editorials, but no "boycott" of Iran or torching of embassies, what will spokesmen for the ROP say then?

Posted by: Son Of The Godfather at February 07, 2006 03:28 AM (maXzk)

16 Hopefully if they do publish these disgusting cartoons of the Holocaust in this Iranian newspaper, it will show that westerners will not react to it in an unreasonable way; burning Iranian flags, setting fire to Iranian embassies etc. I know that the Prophet Muhammad (saas) is very important to Muslims, as is God to Christians and that lampooning Muhammad (saas) is one of the worst blasphemous acts you could ever do in the Muslim world but surely this has been blown out of proportion.

Posted by: anonymous at February 07, 2006 04:15 AM (cbJyk)

17 Atta boy human! Cool keyboard too! I'm taking you at your word that that's what the inbred moron spat onto the screen. I betcha Insanetors Swimmer and Horseface are green with envy for not thinking (uh, sorry scratch that-thinking is one hell of a stretch for either one of those misfits), coming up with that ready for NYT quote on their own!

Posted by: forest hunter at February 07, 2006 04:44 AM (Fq6zR)

18 And to the nutless wonders that Jesusland Carlos and human called out and any of the rest of you who side with this kind of evil delirium, why don't you slither your sorry, gelatinous, spineless bags of goo down to the NYT and do a camp out thingy. Don't forget the marshmellows and tires. It's not really a News Agency. It's actually another Danish Embassy, really. I got it straight from Plame herself. Or was that another deranged dhimmi named jimmy, it's hard to keep the lies and liars on track. BTW: Do you know what they call a Professor who graduates last in the class?

Posted by: forest hunter at February 07, 2006 05:12 AM (Fq6zR)

19 What will happen is a few people will carp and complain and the Iranians will equate that with the burning of buildings, destruction of personal property and marching down the streets with signs and shouting slogans demanding the death of everyone involved. And a bunch of Muslims will agree that the reactions are indeed the same. It's called moral relativism and it's infected much of the world. They just don't get it.

Posted by: Oyster at February 07, 2006 05:35 AM (YudAC)

20 Most of this is saber rattling, as most Americans only care if they can buy cheap chinese merchandise in wal-mart instead of just fondling it and if gas can remain under $3.00 a gallon. Those are the fundamental concerns of America and the West in general. I think 1/3 of the West would put their women in burkas if they could make a dollar on it and 1/3 would put their women in burkas to avoid conflict. The rest of us just talk tough in blogs.

Posted by: goesh at February 07, 2006 06:22 AM (1w6Ud)

21 By publishing blasphemous cartoons of the Prophet (p.b.u.h), the double standard of the Christian Europe is revealed. If these Europeans are really arguing for freedom of expression, then why they are unable to bear what others say about the holocaust, the myth. Denying holocaust is a crime in the so called DEMOCRATIC CHRISTIAN EUROPE. Shame on you Europeans. You are supporting every terrorist acts of Israel, one of the terrorist countries in the World, second only to the US in terrorism. Israel is everyday killing innocent Palestinian civilians including women and children, grabbing their land, destroying their crops. christain Europe is silently watching and allowing them to do all these crimes. They promised the Palestenians a state by 2005, Tony Blair, the Public Relations Officer of the Terrorist Bush promised all the Arab states that the Palastenian nation will be a reality by 2005, only to garner support for his and his master Bush's evil plan to invade Iraq, to steal their Oil wealth. What did you Europeans do thereafter. Now you are behind Iran, for accusing it of trying to make nuclear arsenal, when you all are having abundant weapons of mass destructions, including the nuclear warheads. And your foster son Israel is also having more than 200 nuclear warheads. And you are not doing anything against it, but accusing and threatening Iran for using nuclear energy only to produce electricity. You promised Iran all aid if they stop enriching uranium, but did not do anything for two years, and due to your cheating, when Iran started enriching uranium, you are now behind them with uncle sam, but without taking any action against Israel.. You CHRISTIAN EUROPE, ARE YOU LOOKING FOR ANOTHER CRUSADE? Do you want to destroy Islam? You are in fools' paradise. Islam will,ONLY ISLAM WILL PREVAIL. YOU ALL WILL PERISH ONE DAY, GOD WILLING.

Posted by: Ashfaq P K at February 07, 2006 08:22 AM (3NTIN)

22 Assfag, you are correct about the illegality of denying the Holocaust in Europe. That is indeed censorship and hypocrisy. You're right! But I would expect nothing less from Europe's politically correct so-called "humanists". Notice that here in America we have so such censorship even though we are fascistic little christian fundies. Yes, Israel can keep its nukes, but Iran may not. Those are the rules. Why? Because Israel will not use its nukes to threaten the West, but Iran will. It's that simple. Israel is our friend, Iran is our enemy. And we aren't "stealing" your oil wealth. We are BUYING it. Do you know the difference between BUYING something versus stealing it? You should be grateful that we are BUYING it, by the way, because if we don't BUY your oil, you'll have NO MONEY to buy food from the Danish! And then what will you do? Eat sand? Drink oil? Re "palestine." As long as Hamas is in power, "palestinians" will NEVER have a state. As far as America being number one terrorist and allahs'

Posted by: Jesusland Carlos at February 07, 2006 08:46 AM (8e/V4)

23 It's so funny how these primitive savages, just barely out of the caves, think they can intimidate us with their idiotic rhetoric.

Posted by: Improbulus Maximus at February 07, 2006 08:52 AM (0yYS2)

24 I am fed up with Islam. I have Muslim friends but they condone all the so, so many flaws in the quaran and the hadith. Lets stick to facts here about the quaran. Muhammed was the first one to begin a crusade!! heres the link, and the timeline. The film "kingdom of heaven", where the european christians begin a crusade against islam, it shows it began in 1000's. heres the link, heres the timeline, an i want Muslims to respond to this, since no-one is allowed to ask questions about the religion without a FATWA, no-one is able to renounce the religion OR THEY WILL DIE (this 2006, for Allahs sake)and no-one is going to admit to Muhammeds history of Paedophilia ( he has sex with when she 9, this is actually true, most muslims scholars, but make the excuse "it was the times) GENOCIDE ( they had 3 choses when encountering non- muslim villages. Become a muslim, pay a tax, or die) and sodomy and abuse towards women)??????? This is meant to be the religion of peace? heres a link http://www.americanthinker.com/articles.php?article_id=5024&search=crusade

Posted by: TheDoctor at February 07, 2006 04:13 PM (GDi/k)

25 First off, I am married to a Muslim and am Jewish myself. Muslims believe in the O.T. and that Moses was a messenger of G-d. An informed Muslim will know that G-d gave the land of Israel to the Jews. The Europeans didn't give that Land, G-D in the O.T. did. Nothing in the Quran has ever changed that, nor could it. See: http://www.templemount.org/quranland.html

Posted by: LZ at February 07, 2006 04:26 PM (grXA7)

26 Who's going to call Animal control on Ashfaq P K, he's foaming at the mouth and obviously rabid. Not calling you a son of a dog or anything, but you probably are the only person who's mom had eight nipples, and breath smelled like Pedigree chum.

Posted by: dave at February 07, 2006 06:31 PM (CcXvt)

27 Fucking Americans!. At the hand of the Jews,you become so blind, so paranoid about Islam. You are nothing but real stupid dogs to your masters- the jews. Any fucking response from you fucking American? Please response because your masters are watching!. After all, what's good of being loyal dogs if you fucking americans can't bark? You can forward your fucking email to me: Rush008@yahoo.com

Posted by: RUSH at February 07, 2006 08:31 PM (BoEGG)

28 Yo, i GiVe a *UcK tO aLl rEliGioN eXcEpT thE mIgThy 1 iF YoU LeT YoUr MotHeRS sLeEp WiTh Me fOr a NigTh LoNg cRuSaDe tHe tHeMe oF tHis bLoG wiLl cHanGe iN a mAttEr oF a NiGth. wAiTiNg 2 C 12 cArToOns, kEep tHe gOod wOrks up bRo. lEt tHe bElL oF fOs rInG. :p

Posted by: yopapa at February 07, 2006 08:32 PM (xAkQz)

29 To the Jews all over the world, it is true that you get other people to fight and die for you -the americans! Don't you ever doubt them because they have proven to be loyal dogs and pigs, brainless! son of the bi....! Rush008@yahoo.com

Posted by: Rush at February 07, 2006 08:38 PM (BoEGG)

30 Yeah right, please respond to someone else's Email -- do you think everyone is as dumb as the cumdump you call "mum"?

Posted by: dave at February 07, 2006 08:45 PM (CcXvt)

31 hmmm, seems like the temperature is raising over here. Is this the old Arab vs Western Civilization "war" again. Rather than arguing each other on the issue, you'd better watch-out for the "empire strikes-back" of the thousand years old chinese civilization. The one who invented papers . Don't you all aware of the acquisition of major American and some european firms by the red flag firms? I'm off, I'll take vacation in samoa then bye.. :p.

Posted by: sharingan at February 07, 2006 09:03 PM (aC2yY)

32 I need someone to help me draw. I know we can win the gold coins. My caption: Hajj Amin Al-Husseini -- "Yes I can get you 20,000 Hanjar fighters for the SS as long as you also let us kill off 3/4 million of Serbs and those dirty gypsys." There are lots of pictures of Hitler and Hajj Amin Al-Husseini. Or Hajj Amin Al-Husseini inspecting the Hanjar. The proper term is Islamo-Lenninist who distort the Al-Qurʼān al-Karīm. Those who know and follow the Al-Qurʼān al-Karīm are honorable and peaceful people. Shaykh Ibn Baaz Kayfa NuÂ’aalij WaaqiÂ’unaa al-Aleem – Page 108-109 issued a Fatwa against hijacking planes and kidnapping.

Posted by: Cole Blue at February 07, 2006 09:19 PM (W72Ch)

33 I think the the poor emarican has been misled by the propaganda initiated by the jews who invented them long ago in order to cover for their crimes in Palastine. American politics has been long moulded by the jews through their financial strength and tactful approach. I never believe in holocaust...If at at it is true, HItler might be a bad leader... but in all honesty, why would a leader hated the jews so much? Was he out of his mind? Were the jews so innocent that they simply became the target of a mad man named Hitler? Why was that HItler's sentiment to the Jews so incomprehensible? Jews were not at fault at all for HItler's sentiment? COMEON PEOPLE!HItler can't be so wrong! Well, come to think about this... HItler's wrong stand at what percentage? 80%? 50%? and the jews were faultless? See? We all know that the Jews are in one way or another the cause of all the problem between the muslim world and the west. How could the land belonging to the Palestine and acknowledged by the UN to hava been "accupied" by the Jews illegally, denied by the Amarica?. The answer seems obvious! ... because every blood and flesh of the american citizen has been contaminated by the Jews. They beg for the western sympathy and in silence clapping their hand when the western start quarreling with the muslims, and killing each other in the process. Rush008@yahoo.com

Posted by: rush008@yahoo.com at February 07, 2006 09:27 PM (BoEGG)

34 Freedom of expression is borderless? BY virtiue of this freedom of expression, one has the right to offend other people, religiously or otherwise. If that is correct, why would it be a crime to doubt holocaust in the european countries? Is,t it a clear hinderence to the freedom of expression... because it is the right of every man and women to doubt it. Come to think about that people. Rush008@yahoo.com

Posted by: Rush at February 07, 2006 09:42 PM (BoEGG)

35 For someone demanding a lot of tolerance from us you seem to be displaying an lot of intolerance rush.

Posted by: MathewK at February 07, 2006 10:23 PM (pVHqF)

36 The letters posted in this web site and reply to my letter is concrete examples of how intolerant are the Europeans and the Americans. They canÂ’t even give a satisfactory reply to my questions. I am repeating my words here. By publishing blasphemous cartoons of the Prophet (p.b.u.h), the double standard of the Christian Europe is revealed. If these Europeans are really arguing for freedom of expression, then why they are unable to bear what others say about the holocaust, the myth. If publishing any thing in the name of freedom of expression, then it is my freedom of expression to doubt and deny the existence of the so called HOLOCAUS, THE MYTH. Denying holocaust is a crime in the so called DEMOCRATIC CHRISTIAN EUROPE. Shame on you Europeans. Your double standards and enmity towards Muslims are evident from the following. If you are hell bent on freedom of expression, why you are preventing muslim girls and women from wearing head scarves. Wearing head scarves is their freedom of expressing herself. But in European Countries it is not allowed. NOT DOUBLE STANDARD? You the Europeans and the US is pursuing a policy of double standards when it comes to democracy. For you, democracy means the party or the government whom you support should win the election. If the winners are your opponents, you will not allow them to form the Government. Examples: In Algeria , the Islamic Salvation Front won the election with huge majority. But the so called CHRISTIAN EUROPE, PARTICULARLY FRANCE, along with the worldÂ’s No. 1 terrorist country, the USA, interfered and made the Military take over the control. Now the country is under civil war. Who is responsible for that, no doubt, the CHRISTIAN EUROPE AND THE USA. What happened in Turkey? Even though the Islamic Pary led by Najmudheen Arbakan won the elections , you the Europeans with the help of military there, cancelled the elections and made the military to take control there also. Now these Europeans have got retaliation. Again in Turkey, Islamic Party is ruling. What happens in Egypt? EuropeÂ’s and AmericaÂ’s friend Husni Mubarak is ruling for so many years without any democracy. And he recently conducted an mock election. You Europeans and Americans call them Democracy? When your friends are making mockery of democracy you have no complaints. When your opponents wins the election, you try to topple those governments. What a double standard? Now you are aginst Hamas. HamasÂ’s victoy shocked you? You want them to recognize Israel? How can you recognize a country which is illegally occupying your territory and flouting all the resolutions passed by you in the Security Council? A country which is killing your people every day? You promised the Palestineans a state by 2005. What you have done to fulfill your promise? Will you stand as a silent spectator, if any other country illegally occupy your land and kill your people, destroying your agricultural crops, dividing your land by great walls and harassing you always? What did you do in Bosnia Herzegovina? You allowed the Serbs, the insane and maddest people in the world, to systematically kill the muslims of Bosnia, in the heart of Europe. When you were supplying arms to the Yugoslavians and the Serbs, you prevented the Bosnians from acquiring any weapons to defend them by bringing an arms embargo against them. And thereby joined with the Serbs in massacring hundreds of thousands of innocent muslims, including women and children. You raped muslim women of Bosnia. Bosnian Vice President was killed by the Serbs from dragging him out of the UN armoured vehicle in the presence of your European peace keeping force. They killed him in front of your Peace Keeping Force.. You deliberately assisted the Serbs to kill him.. Radovan Karadjic , the War Criminal is still being protected by you, the Europeans. You are supporting every terrorist acts of Israel, one of the terrorist countries in the World, second only to the US in terrorism. Israel is everyday killing innocent Palestinian civilians including women and children, grabbing their land, destroying their agricultural crops. Christian Europe is silently watching and allowing them to do all these crimes. They promised the Palestenians a state by 2005, Tony Blair, the Public Relations Officer of the Terrorist Bush promised all the Arab states that the Palastenian nation will be a reality by 2005, only to garner support for his and his master Bush's evil plan to invade Iraq, to steal their Oil wealth. What did you Europeans do thereafter? Now you are behind Iran, for accusing it of trying to make nuclear arsenal, when you all are having abundant weapons of mass destructions, including the nuclear warheads. And your foster son Israel is also having more than 200 nuclear warheads. And you are not doing anything against it, but accusing and threatening Iran for using nuclear energy only to produce electricity. You promised Iran all aid if they stop enriching uranium, but did not do anything for two years, and due to your cheating, when Iran started enriching uranium, you are now behind them with uncle Sam, but without taking any action against Israel.. You CHRISTIAN EUROPE, ARE YOU LOOKING FOR ANOTHER CRUSADE? Do you want to destroy Islam? You are in fools' paradise. IN THE END ISLAM,ONLY ISLAM WILL PREVAIL, GOD WILLING.

Posted by: P.K. Ashfaq from INDIA at February 07, 2006 11:20 PM (3NTIN)

37 IN THE END ISLAM,ONLY ISLAM WILL PREVAIL, GOD WILLING. Why do you idiots insist on tacking on "God Willing" on to the end of every stupid statement you make? Is it because in your heart you know you will fail, so you can blame the failure on the will of Allah? News Flash: Allah is WILLING to wipe out the Muslims by the thousands, in Iraq and Afghanistan war, Indonesia with the Tsunami, Earthquakes in Pakistan, Iran and Turkey and then again recently in Egypt with the sinking of a Ferry. With the logic of "Allah's Will" in everything, we can then assume he hates you.

Posted by: dave at February 08, 2006 12:16 AM (CcXvt)

38 I stumbled across this site doing a Google search on the cartoon controversy. I must say that I am appalled by many of the comments posted by contributors. Do you all realise that it is YOU that are preaching hate with your insults and talk of wiping people out. Why, Hitler himself never said such things about the Jews that you people are saying about Muslims! God help us all. You especially! Best Wishes. Joe

Posted by: Joe Baker at February 08, 2006 02:44 AM (GH3lT)

39 Uh, Joe, I'm surprised at how you admonish the hateful language of non-Muslims and not the hateful language of the Muslims in this thread. Are you ignoring something here or are you really that blind? And to this Ashfaq guy - Your hypocrisy is astounding. I'm really at a loss for words.

Posted by: Oyster at February 08, 2006 07:14 AM (YudAC)

40 Free speach is free speach, aren't we being hipocritical if we condemn them for cartooning something. I mean Lighten up people. The violence is unneccesary, but its ok for someone to say something, we have the right to object to it. It may be in bad taste and offensive. Quit the PC bullshit and just deal with it.

Posted by: maddchad at February 08, 2006 10:03 AM (PP/Dj)

41 somebody answer me, who was the fisrt using nuclear power to attack another. answer is the world most terrorist Uncle Sam.

Posted by: ijan at February 08, 2006 10:48 AM (BRQXv)

42 I think the Hamshahri Holocaust cartoon contest is a great opportunity to underline the repressive and backward nature of the Islamo-fascist socities. Let's all flood the newspaper with drawings that show Hitler and his gang hand-in-hand with Mohammed and his buddies celebrating the murder of 6 million human beings. Let's see if the Iranians have the balls to print THOSE. They've issued a challenge as to wether our society will tolerate holocaust cartoons...but they weren't clever enough to forsee that cartoons even about that subject can still offend traditional (as opposed to core) Muslims. Don't misinterpret the tone of this post. I know and respect decent people of all religions and nationalities. It's the indecent people I object to....and there are indecent people of every religion and nationality. This is a matter of a few murderous and power-hungry "leaders" (from all religions and nations) trying to hijack the world for their own selfish and hateful agendas. Let's put the hatemongers in their place! Can anybody find out how to make submissions to the contest? The only web pages I've found so far are Arabic-only.

Posted by: Mark Andrews at February 08, 2006 11:01 AM (0sit9)

43 Americans wake up. Our country and our freedom has been hijacked. Don't listen to them. The truth is coming out every day. This is what our first President George Washington said about these people. "They (the Jews) work more effectively against us, than the enemy's armies. They are a hundred times more dangerous to our liberties and the great cause we are engaged in... It is much to be lamented that each state, long ago, has not hunted them down as pest to society and the greatest enemies we have to the happiness of America." http://www.realnews247.com/who_rules_america_updated_2004.htm http://www.radioislam.org/bush/bush-march262003.htm

Posted by: Edward Dolb at February 08, 2006 11:01 AM (TI9wp)

44 P.K. Assfuk , Question for you : Were you born an asshold or did you work at it your whole life ?

Posted by: oldhippy at February 08, 2006 01:30 PM (tXv5y)

45 ack!

Posted by: Invisablemaninthesky at February 08, 2006 04:56 PM (28N2S)

46 Woohoo! I stumbled right into the dark ages over here! I like to think most folks are folks, the difference being your where you are brought up. Alot to do with "where you stand is where you sit". Religon is a bad deal, the code, however is right. The code are tenents that make us different from most other life on this planet. It tells us it is not a good idea to steal, kill, etc... all the things you would chalk up to comman sense. Putting a ethno-geographical twist to the code, complete with psuedo-historical relevance and of course topped off with a healthy sprinkling of myth & imagination, leads to corrupting of a rather simple notion. God (s) where an excellent example of human natures need for understanding, the science was not always there, so then you get interuptations, and dogma, which have become somehow on par with reality, there is a reason for this, you guessed it, the almighty carrot stick. Religon has always done what Kings could not, self-censure, and a reward/punish system that does not empty their coffers... Get to the point already, you say, fine... Get rid of all religons! Take personal accountability, get rid of the crutch of archaic ideas, and get on with your life! From an observer who whorships no one, all I see is wasted lives & energy, better spent building a world for all. I know I change no opinions with my blather, and you will all no doubt carry on about who's god(s) has a "bigger" one, I thought I would try and shine a little commen sense in here, good luck to you all in getting that nasty religious monkey of your back! Enjoy!!!

Posted by: Invisablemaninthesky at February 08, 2006 05:14 PM (28N2S)

47 i think some of you people are really being tough on muslims man. Im not saying i aggree completly with Iranian people, that the holocoust was a Myth and all that crap but i think we should stop hating each other and we have to chill out. There is this idea in US that shows most of the americans hate muslims because of their radical thoughts and most of the americans hate jews too because of the whole Christianity and Jewish stories and that the jews betrayed jusses. i think we should stop fighting over these religous stuff and appreciate the life as full as possible together and with love and peace. You might not agree with me or cuss at me like others but i still respect your thoughts and freedom so just chill!!

Posted by: persianhero at February 08, 2006 07:47 PM (VtgYX)

48 persianhero: Perhaps sing cumbya as well? Just kidding, I agree this thread is prime example of why it is so hard for folks to get along.How can we as a people, when we are close to traversing the stars, throwback certain aspects of our evolved brain...it is quite shocking to me perfectly intelligent, educated folks stuck in a loop steeped in ignorance and cultural mindsets akin to lemmings? Now, I understand for anyone to accept their particular religon, they cannot do it 95%, and have 5% doubt...that is crushed out of you early generally speaking. So what we have are tons of folks hostage to there dogma, unable to see clearly, and totally unable to have two differing ideas in their head without filtering them thru religous buffers. Yes, I am attacking ALL religons, even the ones I find to be mild and unintrusive (North American Indians come to mind), because they all distract, and they divide us more then anything else... Let it be known my feelings are actually getting more mainstream here in Canada,(Go hosers eh!) Yes, us godless frozen people have had enough of the church (any), they would be better served sheltering the homeless 24/7...whats that? They do, well ok, but in my world, a bible would not become manditory reading for those poor folks..they need jobs, not religon. Well, I end my little rant on Religon in general now, please continue the godtalk, feel free to utterly disregard all my comments, especially if your religous, as if you had a choice!!!

Posted by: Invisablemaninthesky at February 08, 2006 10:52 PM (YFh+X)

49 Way to go, eh!, Invisablemaninthesky ! Although, I must say that the monkey on the back (as you put it, ie: religion), is actually two monkeys, a good one and a bad one. But, yes, both are 'religion' monkeys. If you can shake the bad monkey off your back you're doing the best. Of course this is very tricky, ie: really knowing which one is bad and which one is good. And since this is rather tricky, for most of us, then its certainly much better to shake both monkeys off you back (as you suggested), rather than taking the risk of keeping the bad one on ! btw: if a canuck/muslim like me can have this view, I wish that other people of religion could have the same view. Yes, I know, I'm asking for waaaaaay too much here boybinary

Posted by: boybinary at February 09, 2006 02:58 AM (0UaJ0)

50 Hey Rush, 0 l/ =Muhammed! /\ Now don't go burning down a Danish embassy over this one!

Posted by: MichaelJewBoyShylock at February 09, 2006 07:17 AM (FXPOH)

51 So sad, So Sad...I have Irrefutable proof that Allah, God, Muhammed, jesus, whatever are simply figments of a corrupt imagination. The proof that a so called 'god' does not exist can clearly be seen in our actions as a species inhabiting this little blue marble. If a ‘god’ really did exist, what would he see? He would look down from his spaceship or something, and see a bunch of semi-intelligent monkeys lobbing cruise missiles at each other, the occasional beheading, and the ever present suicide bombings. What would this omnipotent being think? He would probably turn his spaceship around and go back to nebulan 5 or whatever black hole he came out of. Or, Well according to Islamic fundamentalists he would of course, blame the Jews. The problem with Islam (I'm using Islam as an example because the proof to a godless universe is best illustrated using this particular religion) is that for some reason, most muslism actually believe that Jews are the cause and root of all the problems inflicting us as a race. People all over the middle east, really do believe, with blind honesty that Jews are the cause of thier suffering. How briliantly, convienantly simple. Its the ultimate scapegote the Jews. Why is there war in the middle east? the Jews. why is the US occuping Iraq? The Jews. why do I have an ingrown toenail? THE JEWS God damnit. There is no neeed to actually think about the problem and take a second look at a religiously fanatic government, with no prospects for peace, equality, advancement or a future. no that would simply be too complex and we might actually have to use a small, often neglected organ called the BRAIN. So the real problem of course is that THE JEWS DID IT. So why blame Islam on all of society’s ills? Why? because Islam is a religion fit for the middle ages, infact during the 1400’s Islam was perhaps the greatest religion on earth, but a few things have changed since(namely 600 years of evolution) but unfortunately Islam is still living in the past, the very distant past. So what are we left with today? sickies burning Danish flags? (huh? Danish? What did they do? They arent even Jewish?) Religion as a whole will be the downfall of society, and it is clearly evident with Islam. We can already see how successful a society led by religious fanatics can be (see Iran, Syria, Palestine, Afghanistan, the list goes on) How can a responsible government function based on the fact that all their insane actions are because of the Jewish infidels, well, because the Jews are guilty and God said so. Is it ok to wipe out Israel, yeah why not, Allah said so, Is it ok to strap 12 kilo of C4 to yourself and walk into a crowded coffee shop yell out “god is great” and take out some innocent civilians? Yeah why not, Allah said so, he’ll even throw in a few virgins. These are just extreme examples of how religious ideology is used as an excuse to murder others who don’t agree with your religious ideology. The Christians, jews, muslims, they are all the same…blinded by the same lie…that god exists and that we do no need to take responsibility for our own actions because in the end it is all gods will, and god can't be wrong. How wrong we all are….Open your eyes and look at the truth - god isn’t there - you are just trying to fill an empty void. And remember, if you dont want to be held responsible for your actions...just blame the Jews.

Posted by: Godless at February 09, 2006 07:19 AM (u3bd/)

52 I written this little poetry,, hope u like it: You need a kick on your behinds, but then you may like it!, You may ask for more, for the fingering is so joyfull, a little bit of cream, and you may find your glorious dream. You cut you clits and clitoris and you call it beauty. you like kiddie porn, shitty stuff and you call it cuttie. standing nudes in fron of us, grilling, crying, caliming happiness, what a joy for us, a tasteless taste, below the animalÂ’s waste, a heap of shit, buried in a pit. you are below animals, and unanimates. yeah sensore this...

Posted by: barnnie at February 09, 2006 08:58 AM (IpuE8)

53 Why all this hate between humans.

Posted by: Musti at February 09, 2006 09:35 AM (mbZwg)

54 create a problem then whine about it. caucasians love to do this. i mean what did you expect to happen when you print cartoons like this? you should have expected this. you saw what happened in france. youre all so scared.... and quit smiling and dancing for the zionist machine, its bound to fall eventually. look at the numbers and do the math. hamas won. god loves democracy and irony.

Posted by: synical at February 09, 2006 10:52 AM (F+buo)

55 Hehe, we totally hijacked this thread, well sort of! Boybinary: Right on! A fellow Canuck (and Muslim to boot!) here to show the world is not full of hatred, and certainly not all controled by Religon. Feels good, and makes me very proud to live in the true north, strong & free. Canadians rarely toot their own horn, it seems so, well, unCanadian to do so, but once and a while, it is good to to appreciate your country, especially seeing how a lot of the rest of world operates. Don't get me wrong, its not all roses up here, we do have our issues, luckily, religon is not one of them. Consider our leaders, who in elections, none would play the godcard, or be wickedly punished (I'm looking at you Stockwell Day!). I look down south during American elections, and it is god this & god that, god is on my side, bless america, etc. That does not fly up here, thankfully! I certainly do understand how lucky I am to live here, I am free to have my own opinions, if I was born, say, in the west bank, no doubt I would have a different additude, and I no doubt would belive in a religon. So I belive that the "ignorant" masses who buy in to religon, aren't nessessarily lemmings, more they have had no chance to understand the world as it is, rather learn everything thru the lens of religon, you see where I'm going with this...religon sucks, blah blah blah.

Posted by: Invisablemaninthesky at February 09, 2006 11:03 AM (szNJG)

56 The letters posted in this web site and reply to my letter is concrete examples of how intolerant are the Europeans and the Americans. They canÂ’t even give a satisfactory reply to my questions. I am repeating my words here. By publishing blasphemous cartoons of the Prophet (p.b.u.h), the double standard of the Christian Europe is revealed. If these Europeans are really arguing for freedom of expression, then why they are unable to bear what others say about the holocaust, the myth. If publishing any thing in the name of freedom of expression, then it is my freedom of expression to doubt and deny the existence of the so called HOLOCAUST, THE MYTH. Denying holocaust is a crime in the so called DEMOCRATIC CHRISTIAN EUROPE. Shame on you Europeans. Your double standards and enmity towards Muslims are evident from the following. If you are hell bent on freedom of expression, why you are preventing muslim girls and women from wearing head scarves. Wearing head scarves is their freedom of expressing herself. But in European Countries it is not allowed. NOT DOUBLE STANDARD? You the Europeans and the US is pursuing a policy of double standards when it comes to democracy. For you, democracy means the party or the government whom you support should win the election. If the winners are your opponents, you will not allow them to form the Government. Examples: In Algeria , the Islamic Salvation Front won the election with huge majority. But the so called CHRISTIAN EUROPE, PARTICULARLY FRANCE, along with the worldÂ’s No. 1 terrorist country, the USA, interfered and made the Military take over the control. Now the country is under civil war. Who is responsible for that, no doubt, the CHRISTIAN EUROPE AND THE USA. What happened in Turkey? Even though the Islamic Pary led by Najmudheen Arbakan won the elections , you the Europeans with the help of military there, cancelled the elections and made the military to take control there also. Now these Europeans have got retaliation. Again in Turkey, Islamic Party is ruling. What happens in Egypt? EuropeÂ’s and AmericaÂ’s friend Husni Mubarak is ruling for so many years without any democracy. And he recently conducted an mock election. You Europeans and Americans call them Democracy? When your friends are making mockery of democracy you have no complaints. When your opponents wins the election, you try to topple those governments. What a double standard? Now you are aginst Hamas. HamasÂ’s victoy shocked you? You want them to recognize Israel? How can you recognize a country which is illegally occupying your territory and flouting all the resolutions passed by you in the Security Council? A country which is killing your people every day? You promised the Palestineans a state by 2005. What you have done to fulfill your promise? Will you stand as a silent spectator, if any other country illegally occupy your land and kill your people, destroying your agricultural crops, dividing your land by great walls and harassing you always? What did you do in Bosnia Herzegovina? You allowed the Serbs, the insane and maddest people in the world, to systematically kill the muslims of Bosnia, in the heart of Europe. When you were supplying arms to the Yugoslavians and the Serbs, you prevented the Bosnians from acquiring any weapons to defend them by bringing an arms embargo against them. And thereby joined with the Serbs in massacring hundreds of thousands of innocent muslims, including women and children. You raped muslim women of Bosnia. Bosnian Vice President was killed by the Serbs from dragging him out of the UN armoured vehicle in the presence of your European peace keeping force. They killed him in front of your Peace Keeping Force.. You deliberately assisted the Serbs to kill him.. Radovan Karadjic , the War Criminal is still being protected by you, the Europeans. You are supporting every terrorist acts of Israel, one of the terrorist countries in the World, second only to the US in terrorism. Israel is everyday killing innocent Palestinian civilians including women and children, grabbing their land, destroying their agricultural crops. Christian Europe is silently watching and allowing them to do all these crimes. They promised the Palestenians a state by 2005, Tony Blair, the Public Relations Officer of the Terrorist Bush promised all the Arab states that the Palastenian nation will be a reality by 2005, only to garner support for his and his master Bush's evil plan to invade Iraq, to steal their Oil wealth. What did you Europeans do thereafter? Now you are behind Iran, for accusing it of trying to make nuclear arsenal, when you all are having abundant weapons of mass destructions, including the nuclear warheads. And your foster son Israel is also having more than 200 nuclear warheads. And you are not doing anything against it, but accusing and threatening Iran for using nuclear energy only to produce electricity. You promised Iran all aid if they stop enriching uranium, but did not do anything for two years, and due to your cheating, when Iran started enriching uranium, you are now behind them with uncle Sam, but without taking any action against Israel..

Posted by: P.K. Ashfaq from INDIA at February 10, 2006 12:13 AM (3NTIN)

57 Okay!

Posted by: Invisablemaninthesky at February 10, 2006 12:55 PM (KMDeC)

58 P.K. Ashfaq: I would be happy to answer your questions! Alrighty, lets start... 1. Intolerance, Re:America/Europe. Absolutely! Double standards & intolerance are hardly the providance of any "people/country", it is rampant accross the globe, I would imagine we all know people like this personaly, this comment is kinda a given.As for the Religous context, this is where I part ways with those who belive (in whatever), belonging to a Religon(any) will make you intolerant by design, how could one man who belives one thing truly understand another, who belives in something else. Because Religon is set up to herd your point of view, understanding anothers view is truly impossible for the true-belivers.

Posted by: Invisablemaninthesky at February 10, 2006 12:58 PM (KMDeC)

59 P.K. Ashfaq: 3.Democracy: Yeah, well, personaly, a true democracy does not exsist yet. Again, it is no surprise double standards exsist, it is everywhere, certainly not just Europe/America. Thing is, broken or not, Democracy is (for me & my family) the better choice, Theocratic governments are wicked scarey, folks making desisions based on religous dogma & doctirine should not be in power, anywhere (that includes a lot of Islamic states, and yes, even Bush)as commen sense is replaced by archaic thinking, and is bound by laws written for folks a long time ago...mind you, a lot of the laws still make sense, but there is some other ones...ie:Islam & Christianity, both seem to think of Women as property...woops! It is this thinking that holds back progress & enlightenment. 4. The west/Europe, and their manipulation of countries, this is nothing new, I'm certainly not in favour of it, but it is a reality of living in a giant sandbox. I use "sandbox" to invoke an idea of the dynamic of children and their "politics" in said sandbox, that and we have all been there. The big kid gets what he wants, not for right, rather for might. Ok, so what I'm saying is the superpowers of the world have the run of things right now, so other nations will, by our very nature consider how unfair it is, and it is, terribly. The good news (depending on where you are) is things do change, albeit slowly, chances are, there will be many more cycles of this, the U.S. will eventually lose its dominace, and some other country will come into power, history is quite clear on this... Maybe one day, Canada will be the big prick of the world...your right, not gonna happen! 5. Hamas winning the elections, good on 'em! Hopefully they can find comman ground, and I agree with Mr. Ashfuq it seems the U.S wants its cake & get to eat it, not likely! 6.Israel & nukes, zionists & the arabs who love to hate them...I suspect if Israel had no nukes, no doubt they would have been rubbed out by now, I am certainly not saying I agree with how Israel operates, not so much! I do see the Palistinian's plight, and I hope there is some resolution there without turning the middle east into a giant glass furnace. The arab states are not without fault either, and in the big picture, they need to either get along, or perish, and it is a good bet there will be no winners eventualy (see glass furnace comment). Iran and nukes, seems like a path to destruction for all conserned, I am really glad we live opposite the impending storm, and Mr. Ashfaq from India is quite right to be concerned, his country is too close to this desert armeggeddon, your people will suffer, and I suspect they will not care about whos right or wrong at that point. Phew! Next time Mr Ashfaq, please elaborate on your questions...now that was a joke! I hope I have given you some insight into the burning questions, from a heathen Westerner as well! I do not think the brash folks on this board insulting you do us justice, as well, you must as well learn to temper yourself, lest you get into stupid bikering, where the point is lost, things become personal, sharing ideas with our brothers accross the world can only help in understanding, I'm sure you can agree with that! P.S. Ghandi rocks!

Posted by: Invisablemaninthesky at February 10, 2006 01:02 PM (KMDeC)

60 Ashfaq: Sorry bout the crazy numeric screw up, the message board if freaking out about something with my # 2. Answer, I'll try again... 2. As for the what happened in WWII, events happened, and ones belief (or not) do not change what has happened, I say feel free to deny whatever you like, history will go on regardless, and it is on record that a lot of folks think it was fake, that is now history as well. Points of view are taken, recorded, whatever! Personaly, I belive in the extermination, as I have several sources (Grandfathers) who were actually there, have photos, and grim stories. But I also realize perception for a lot of folks is reality, take me, I am beliving in the atrocities on account of my grandfathers testiment (not even looking at books/media on the subject, just grandpa(s). My perception is a certain way, and it is still a notion, a preception, as I personally was not there, so it works both ways. Hope that helps some! Again, apologies to Mr Ashfaq for the confusing threads!

Posted by: Invisablemaninthesky at February 10, 2006 01:19 PM (KMDeC)

61 All of you need to take up Buddhism...youll live longer.

Posted by: Buddha at February 12, 2006 03:05 AM (u3bd/)

62 مرحبا ، هذا محمّد (سلام على ي ، أجل!). أنا يضطرّ قلت أنت الحقيقة - إسلام تمويه. هناك ما من الله. آسفة.

Posted by: Mohammed at February 12, 2006 05:26 AM (gC/99)

63 أيضا ، يحبّ أنا دانمرك.

Posted by: Mohammed at February 12, 2006 05:30 AM (gC/99)

64 Wait, let me see if I understand this...your name is really ASHFAQ? Is it just a coincidence that it closely resembles ASS FUCK? as in muslims are the ASS FUCK of society?

Posted by: loool at February 12, 2006 08:33 AM (u3bd/)

65 *cringe* Mr.Ashfaq: Don't let the trolls bait you! Please reply to my comments re: your questions. Its hard to soar like and eagle when your hangin' around a bunch of turkey's! -quote, some coffee mug...it's very applicable!

Posted by: Invisablemaninthesky at February 12, 2006 03:07 PM (v2N+H)

66 what is your point, loool? really, can you speak intelligently?

Posted by: lostinspace at February 12, 2006 04:48 PM (X32Pm)

67 All Jew's must death!!!!

Posted by: Adi at February 13, 2006 08:42 AM (WDV7L)

68 I believe that should be "All Jews must die!!!!" having the ' makes the "Jew" possessive of "must". Also, death is a noun. You are looking for a verb. By the way, Fuck you

Posted by: john at February 13, 2006 05:35 PM (nIubP)

69 Can't wait to join the contest Let's see how far "Free Speech" can go in this world >

Posted by: Mohammed at February 14, 2006 06:29 PM (kIola)

70 Mr. Invisible man, I shall give you reply soon. As I am busy with my work I cant respond now. We will meet soon. Please give me your e-mail ID. Ashfaq

Posted by: P.K. Ashfaq from INDIA at February 15, 2006 02:23 AM (3NTIN)

71 Mr. Invisible man, I shall give you reply soon. As I am busy with my work I cant respond now. We will meet soon. Please give me your e-mail ID. Regarding the comment by Loool, his comment reflect how cultureless he is. Replying in the same language is not on my agenda. Because Islam prohibits such abusive language. IT also prhohibits calling a person by his nick name. May Allah show you the path of rightousness. Ashfaq

Posted by: P.K. Ashfaq from INDIA at February 15, 2006 02:25 AM (3NTIN)

72 Dear friends i was browsing your comments, and I found that 1. We must respect every ones faith 2.If you think Muhammed (PBUH), Cartoons makes you proud, I would suggest read About Life of Muhammed (PBUH), if any one of you, who deos not not know Muhammed (PBUH), have read and have the same opinion I would pray that Allah guide you. 3. Muhammed (PBUH), brought message of peace, to this world, we believe in every prophet, whether Jesus,Abrahm, david etc 4. We can never, ever mock any of our prophets. 5. If there is anything wrong done we all must wake up and condemn. 6. Jews, are more closer to muslim then christains, we know them they have always been problem makers, you christains knew this but don't wanna wake up , I am never against jews but against their venomous thinking. One day they will wipe europe or america and they will remove eurocaust or americaust from histry. 7.And remember no one can send missles or tom hawks against us, no one can wipe Islam, as this world is made for Islam, if we are not there, there is no meaning of any living creatures. 8. I want to answer one more comment of my bros, don't buy oil try taking it from us, you tried in iraq , but what happened, you are loosing much then you are able to take. 9. Every nation have few people who are terrorist but you can't blame a nation or religion I beleive not all jews are bad, like not all muslims are terrorists 10. Europeans wake up, I know Americans are in process of being alert from Isreal. 11. I don't support halocaust, or in favour of it whether it happened, as you european have killed more muslims in last 5 years then halocuast. 12. Muhammed (PBUH), is above all human kind so i believe we must repsect using abusive language. 13. be decent in expalinging your point others will listen 13.One more thing, we dont eat from money of petrol, if you would like visit us, we are more capable them all of the europe and america coe to india, we will show you how we eat, you people in US and europe are roaming like mad dogs in search of talents there.

Posted by: majid at February 15, 2006 02:15 PM (z0FfS)

73 Majid do you believe that Jesus Christ is the son of the one true living God. Not Gabrial or Lucifer disguised as Gabriel. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=69&chapter=4&version=9&context=chapter

Posted by: Howie at February 15, 2006 02:41 PM (D3+20)

74 Mr. Ashfaq: Please reply on this thread to my comments, when you have the time! Thanks! Majid: Thanks for your comments & shining a little decency in a rather low-brow thread. From an atheists point of view (mine), it is hard to wrap my head around religon of any stripe, and I realize for any of you to be a true beliver, you gotta have faith. Faith, unfortunatly for me, directly equates to applied ignorance, in that, you are following religous doctrine instead of comman sense. No where else can you get away with this. As well, the world has a lot of religons, all of them cannot be right, so it stands to reason, in the great scheme of things, some must be dead wrong. In fact, if you took all the concieved notions of religon, it is more likely (in cosmic terms) that we are way off. If there are such greater beings (god/gods), it also stands to reason we know nothing of them/him/her. I mean, consider how religons are started, way back when, most things could not be understood, which is a problem for humans, as we like to quantify & label all things, curiosity. So, lets take a hypothetical trip back in time to when man was still a hunter/gatherer, lived in loose villages, there very beginning of the "code". Perhaps a hunter kills a deer, and at that moment, a lightning storm erupts violently, scaring the poor hunter. He runs back and relays his tale to the chief. He determines the "sky" was angry that the hunter killed that deer, so from then on, the villagers sacraficed an animal to the skygod, before they hunt again...wouldn't ya know it, the sky is clear, the hunt goes on, and the root of religon has been born. I digress, I could go on at length about the nature of religon, but realistically, I know I am changing no ones mind, in fact, certain to offend some religous folks, althought, that is not my intention. It is very difficult to talk religon with religous folks, as they usually cannot muster critical thinking on there own religon (and there are volumes to why that is!), as anything but the religous line would seem blasphemous, or worse, enlightening!

Posted by: Invisablemaninthesky at February 15, 2006 03:44 PM (R3vzu)

75 Dear Mr. Invisible Man inthe Sky and all my Christian brothers and Jews, read this article about Prophet Mohammed, written by a HINDU. Mohammed The Prophet By Prof. K. S. Ramakrishna Rao, Head of the Department of Philosophy, Government College for Women University of Mysore, Mandya-571401 (Karnatika). Re-printed from "Islam and Modern age", Hydrabad, March 1978. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the desert of Arabia was Mohammad born, according to Muslim historians, on April 20, 571. The name means highly praised. He is to me the greatest mind among all the sons of Arabia. He means so much more than all the poets and kings that preceded him in that impenetrable desert of red sand. When he appeared Arabia was a desert -- a nothing. Out of nothing a new world was fashioned by the mighty spirit of Mohammad -- a new life, a new culture, a new civilization, a new kingdom which extended from Morocco to Indies and influenced the thought and life of three continents -- Asia, Africa and Europe. When I thought of writing on Mohammad the prophet, I was a bit hesitant because it was to write about a religion I do not profess and it is a delicate matter to do so for there are many persons professing various religions and belonging to diverse school of thought and denominations even in same religion. Though it is sometimes, claimed that religion is entirely personal yet it can not be gain-said that it has a tendency to envelop the whole universe seen as well unseen. It somehow permeates something or other our hearts, our souls, our minds their conscious as well as subconscious and unconscious levels too. The problem assumes overwhelming importance when there is a deep conviction that our past, present and future all hang by the soft delicate, tender silked cord. If we further happen to be highly sensitive, the center of gravity is very likely to be always in a state of extreme tension. Looked at from this point of view, the less said about other religion the better. Let our religions be deeply hidden and embedded in the resistance of our innermost hearts fortified by unbroken seals on our lips. But there is another aspect of this problem. Man lives in society. Our lives are bound with the lives of others willingly or unwillingly, directly or indirectly. We eat the food grown in the same soil, drink water, from the same the same spring and breathe the same air. Even while staunchly holding our own views, it would be helpful, if we try to adjust ourselves to our surroundings, if we also know to some extent, how the mind our neighbor moves and what the main springs of his actions are. From this angle of vision it is highly desirable that one should try to know all religions of the world, in the proper sprit, to promote mutual understanding and better appreciation of our neighborhood, immediate and remote. Further, our thoughts are not scattered as appear to be on the surface. They have got themselves crystallized around a few nuclei in the form of great world religions and living faiths that guide and motivate the lives of millions that inhabit this earth of ours. It is our duty, in one sense if we have the ideal of ever becoming a citizen of the world before us, to make a little attempt to know the great religions and system of philosophy that have ruled mankind. In spite of these preliminary remarks, the ground in these field of religion, where there is often a conflict between intellect and emotion is so slippery that one is constantly reminded of fools that rush in where angels fear to tread. It is also not so complex from another point of view. The subject of my writing is about the tenets of a religion which is historic and its prophet who is also a historic personality. Even a hostile critic like Sir William Muir speaking about the holy Quran says that. "There is probably in the world no other book which has remained twelve centuries with so pure text." I may also add Prophet Mohammad is also a historic personality, every event of whose life has been most carefully recorded and even the minutest details preserved intact for the posterity. His life and works are not wrapped in mystery. My work today is further lightened because those days are fast disappearing when Islam was highly misrepresented by some of its critics for reasons political and otherwise. Prof. Bevan writes in Cambridge Medieval History, "Those account of Mohammad and Islam which were published in Europe before the beginning of 19th century are now to be regarded as literary curiosities." My problem is to write this monograph is easier because we are now generally not fed on this kind of history and much time need be spent on pointing out our misrepresentation of Islam. The theory of Islam and Sword for instance is not heard now frequently in any quarter worth the name. The principle of Islam that there is no compulsion in religion is well known. Gibbon, a historian of world repute says, "A pernicious tenet has been imputed to Mohammadans, the duty of extirpating all the religions by sword." This charge based on ignorance and bigotry, says the eminent historian, is refuted by Quran, by history of Musalman conquerors and by their public and legal toleration of Christian worship. The great success of Mohammad's life had been effected by sheer moral force, without a stroke of sword. But in pure self-defense, after repeated efforts of conciliation had utterly failed, circumstances dragged him into the battlefield. But the prophet of Islam changed the whole strategy of the battlefield. The total number of casualties in all the wars that took place during his lifetime when the whole Arabian Peninsula came under his banner, does not exceed a few hundreds in all. But even on the battlefield he taught the Arab barbarians to pray, to pray not individually, but in congregation to God the Almighty. During the dust and storm of warfare whenever the time for prayer came, and it comes five times a every day, the congregation prayer had not to be postponed even on the battlefield. A party had to be engaged in bowing their heads before God while other was engaged with the enemy. After finishing the prayers, the two parties had to exchange their positions. To the Arabs, who would fight for forty years on the slight provocation that a camel belonging to the guest of one tribe had strayed into the grazing land belonging to other tribe and both sides had fought till they lost 70,000 lives in all; threatening the extinction of both the tribes to such furious Arabs, the Prophet of Islam taught self-control and discipline to the extent of praying even on the battlefield. In an aged of barbarism, the Battlefield itself was humanized and strict instructions were issued not to cheat, not to break trust, not to mutilate, not to kill a child or woman or an old man, not to hew down date palm nor burn it, not to cut a fruit tree, not to molest any person engaged in worship. His own treatment with his bitterest enemies is the noblest example for his followers. At the conquest of Mecca, he stood at the zenith of his power. The city which had refused to listen to his mission, which had tortured him and his followers, which had driven him and his people into exile and which had unrelentingly persecuted and boycotted him even when he had taken refuge in a place more than 200 miles away, that city now lay at his feet. By the laws of war he could have justly avenged all the cruelties inflicted on him and his people. But what treatment did he accord to them? Mohammad's heart flowed with affection and he declared, "This day, there is no REPROOF against you and you are all free." "This day" he proclaimed, "I trample under my feet all distinctions between man and man, all hatred between man and man." This was one of the chief objects why he permitted war in self defense, that is to unite human beings. And when once this object was achieved, even his worst enemies were pardoned. Even those who killed his beloved uncle, Hamazah, mangled his body, ripped it open, even chewed a piece of his liver. The principles of universal brotherhood and doctrine of the equality of mankind which he proclaimed represents one very great contribution of Mohammad to the social uplift of humanity. All great religions have preached the same doctrine but the prophet of Islam had put this theory into actual practice and its value will be fully recognized, perhaps centuries hence, when international consciousness being awakened, racial prejudices may disappear and greater brotherhood of humanity come into existence. Miss. Sarojini Naidu speaking about this aspect of Islam says, "It was the first religion that preached and practiced democracy; for in the mosque, when the minaret is sounded and the worshipers are gathered together, the democracy of Islam is embodied five times a day when the peasant and the king kneel side by side and proclaim, God alone is great." The great poetess of India continues, "I have been struck over and over again by this indivisible unity of Islam that makes a man instinctively a brother. When you meet an Egyptian, an Algerian and Indian and a Turk in London, it matters not that Egypt is the motherland of one and India is the motherland of another." Mahatma Gandhi, in his inimitable style, says "Some one has said that Europeans in South Africa dread the advent Islam -- Islam that civilized Spain, Islam that took the torch light to Morocco and preached to the world the Gospel of brotherhood. The Europeans of South Africa dread the Advent of Islam. They may claim equality with the white races. They may well dread it, if brotherhood is a sin. If it is equality of colored races then their dread is well founded." Every year, during the Haj, the world witnesses the wonderful spectacle of this international Exhibition of Islam in leveling all distinctions of race, color and rank. Not only the Europeans, the African, the Arabian, the Persian, the Indians, the Chinese all meet together in Medina as members of one divine family, but they are clad in one dress every person in two simple pieces of white seamless cloth, one piece round the loin the other piece over the shoulders, bare head without pomp or ceremony, repeating "Here am I O God; at thy command; thou art one and alone; Here am I." Thus there remains nothing to differentiate the high from the low and every pilgrim carries home the impression of the international significance of Islam. In the opinion of Prof. Hurgronje "the league of nations founded by prophet of Islam put the principle of international unity of human brotherhood on such Universal foundations as to show candle to other nations." In the words of same Professor "the fact is that no nation of the world can show a parallel to what Islam has done the realization of the idea of the League of Nations." The prophet of Islam brought the reign of democracy in its best form. The Caliph Caliph Ali and the son in-law of the prophet, the Caliph Mansur, Abbas, the son of Caliph Mamun and many other caliphs and kings had to appear before the judge as ordinary men in Islamic courts. Even today we all know how the black Negroes were treated by the civilized white races. Consider the state of BILAL, a Negro Slave, in the days of the prophet of Islam nearly 14 centuries ago. The office of calling Muslims to prayer was considered to be of status in the early days of Islam and it was offered to this Negro slave. After the conquest of Mecca, the Prophet ordered him to call for prayer and the Negro slave, with his black color and his thick lips, stood over the roof of the holy mosque at Mecca called the Ka'ba the most historic and the holiest mosque in the Islamic world, when some proud Arabs painfully cried loud, "Oh, this black Negro Slave, woe be to him. He stands on the roof of holy Ka'ba to call for prayer." At that moment, the prophet announced to the world, this verse of the holy QURAN for the first time. "O mankind, surely we have created you, families and tribes, so you may know one another. Surely, the most honorable of you with God is MOST RIGHTEOUS AMONG you. Surely, God is Knowing, Aware." And these words of the holy Quran created such a mighty transformation that the Caliph of Islam, the purest of Arabs by birth, offered their daughter in marriage to this Negro Slave, and whenever, the second Caliph of Islam, known to history as Umar the great, the commander of faithful, saw this Negro slave, he immediately stood in reverence and welcomed him by "Here come our master; Here come our lord." What a tremendous change was brought by Quran in the Arabs, the proudest people at that time on the earth. This is the reason why Goethe, the greatest of German poets, speaking about the Holy Quran declared that, "This book will go on exercising through all ages a most potent influence." This is also the reason why George Bernard Shaw says, "If any religion has a chance or ruling over England, say, Europe, within the next 100 years, it is Islam". It is this same democratic spirit of Islam that emancipated women from the bondage of man. Sir Charles Edward Archibald Hamilton says "Islam teaches the inherent sinlessness of man. It teaches that man and woman and woman have come from the same essence, posses the same soul and have been equipped with equal capabilities for intellectual, spiritual and moral attainments." The Arabs had a very strong tradition that one who can smite with the spear and can wield the sword would inherit. But Islam came as the defender of the weaker sex and entitled women to share the inheritance of their parents. It gave women, centuries ago right of owning property, yet it was only 12 centuries later , in 1881, that England, supposed to be the cradle of democracy adopted this institution of Islam and the act was called "the married woman act", but centuries earlier, the Prophet of Islam had proclaimed that "Woman are twin halves of men. The rights of women are sacred. See that women maintained rights granted to them." Islam is not directly concerned with political and economic systems, but indirectly and in so far as political and economic affairs influence man's conduct, it does lay down some very important principles to govern economic life. According to Prof. Massignon, it maintains the balance between exaggerated opposites and has always in view the building of character which is the basis of civilization. This is secured by its law of inheritance, by an organized system of charity known as Zakat, and by regarding as illegal all anti-social practices in the economic field like monopoly, usury, securing of predetermined unearned income and increments, cornering markets, creating monopolies, creating an artificial scarcity of any commodity in order to force the prices to rise. Gambling is illegal. Contribution to schools, to places of worship, hospitals, digging of wells, opening of orphanages are highest acts of virtue. Orphanages have sprung for the first time, it is said, under the teaching of the prophet of Islam. The world owes its orphanages to this prophet born an orphan. "Good all this" says Carlyle about Mohammad. "The natural voice of humanity, of pity and equity, dwelling in the heart of this wild son of nature, speaks." A historian once said a great man should be judged by three tests: Was he found to be of true metel by his contemporaries ? Was he great enough to raise above the standards of his age ? Did he leave anything as permanent legacy to the world at large ? This list may be further extended but all these three tests of greatness are eminently satisfied to the highest degree in case of prophet Mohammad. Some illustrations of the last two have already been mentioned. The first is: Was the Prophet of Islam found to be of true metel by his contemporaries? Historical records show that all the contemporaries of Mohammad both friends foes, acknowledged the sterling qualities, the spotless honesty, the noble virtues, the absolute sincerity and every trustworthiness of the apostle of Islam in all walks of life and in every sphere of human activity. Even the Jews and those who did not believe in his message, adopted him as the arbiter in their personal disputes by virtue of his perfect impartiality. Even those who did not believe in his message were forced to say "O Mohammad, we do not call you a liar, but we deny him who has given you a book and inspired you with a message." They thought he was one possessed. They tried violence to cure him. But the best of them saw that a new light had dawned on him and they hastened him to seek the enlightenment. It is a notable feature in the history of prophet of Islam that his nearest relation, his beloved cousin and his bosom friends, who know him most intimately, were not thoroughly imbued with the truth of his mission and were convinced of the genuineness of his divine inspiration. If these men and women, noble, intelligent, educated and intimately acquainted with his private life had perceived the slightest signs of deception, fraud, earthliness, or lack of faith in him, Mohammad's moral hope of regeneration, spiritual awakening, and social reform would all have been foredoomed to a failure and whole edifice would have crumbled to pieces in a moment. On the contrary, we find that devotion of his followers was such that he was voluntarily acknowledged as dictator of their lives. They braved for him persecutions and danger; they trusted, obeyed and honored him even in the most excruciating torture and severest mental agony caused by excommunication even unto death. Would this have been so, had they noticed the slightest backsliding in their master? Read the history of the early converts to Islam, and every heart would melt at the sight of the brutal treatment of innocent Muslim men and women. Sumayya, an innocent women, is cruelly torn into pieces with spears. An example is made of "Yassir whose legs are tied to two camels and the beast were are driven in opposite directions", Khabbab bin Arth is made lie down on the bed of burning coal with the brutal legs of their merciless tyrant on his breast so that he may not move and this makes even the fat beneath his skin melt. "Khabban bin Adi is put to death in a cruel manner by mutilation and cutting off his flesh piece-meal." In the midst of his tortures, being asked weather he did not wish Mohammad in his place while he was in his house with his family, the sufferer cried out that he was gladly prepared to sacrifice himself his family and children and why was it that these sons and daughters of Islam not only surrendered to their prophet their allegiance but also made a gift of their hearts and souls to their master? Is not the intense faith and conviction on part of immediate followers of Mohammad, the noblest testimony to his sincerity and to his utter self-absorption in his appointed task? And these men were not of low station or inferior mental caliber. Around him in quite early days, gathered what was best and noblest in Mecca, its flower and cream, men of position, rank, wealth and culture, and from his own kith and kin, those who knew all about his life. All the first four Caliphs, with their towering personalities, were converts of this period. The Encyclopedia Brittanica says that "Mohammad is the most successful of all Prophets and religious personalities". But the success was not the result of mere accident. It was not a hit of fortune. It was a recognition of fact that he was found to be true metal by his contemporaries. It was the result of his admirable and all compelling personality. The personality of Mohammad! It is most difficult to get into the truth of it. Only a glimpse of it I can catch. What a dramatic succession of picturesque scenes. There is Mohammad the Prophet, there is Mohammad the General; Mohammad the King; Mohammad the Warrior; Mohammad the Businessman; Mohammad the Preacher; Mohammad the Philosopher; Mohammad the Statesman; Mohammad the Orator; Mohammad the reformer; Mohammad the Refuge of orphans; Mohammad the Protector of slaves; Mohammad the Emancipator of women; Mohammad the Law-giver; Mohammad the Judge; Mohammad the Saint. And in all these magnificent roles, in all these departments of human activities, he is like, a hero.. Orphanhood is extreme of helplessness and his life upon this earth began with it; Kingship is the height of the material power and it ended with it. From an orphan boy to a persecuted refugee and then to an overlord, spiritual as well as temporal, of a whole nation and Arbiter of its destinies, with all its trials and temptations, with all its vicissitudes and changes, its lights and shades, its up and downs, its terror and splendor, he has stood the fire of the world and came out unscathed to serve as a model in every face of life. His achievements are not limited to one aspect of life, but cover the whole field of human conditions. If for instance, greatness consist in the purification of a nation, steeped in barbarism and immersed in absolute moral darkness, that dynamic personality who has transformed, refined and uplifted an entire nation, sunk low as the Arabs were, and made them the torch-bearer of civilization and learning, has every claim to greatness. If greatness lies in unifying the discordant elements of society by ties of brotherhood and charity, the prophet of the desert has got every title to this distinction. If greatness consists in reforming those warped in degrading and blind superstition and pernicious practices of every kind, the prophet of Islam has wiped out superstitions and irrational fear from the hearts of millions. If it lies in displaying high morals, Mohammad has been admitted by friend and foe as Al Amin, or the faithful. If a conqueror is a great man, here is a person who rose from helpless orphan and an humble creature to be the ruler of Arabia, the equal to Chosroes and Caesars, one who founded great empire that has survived all these 14 centuries. If the devotion that a leader commands is the criterion of greatness, the prophet's name even today exerts a magic charm over millions of souls, spread all over the world. He had not studied philosophy in the school of Athens of Rome, Persia, India, or China. Yet, He could proclaim the highest truths of eternal value to mankind. Illiterate himself, he could yet speak with an eloquence and fervor which moved men to tears, to tears of ecstasy. Born an orphan blessed with no worldly goods, he was loved by all. He had studied at no military academy; yet he could organize his forces against tremendous odds and gained victories through the moral forces which he marshaled. Gifted men with genius for preaching are rare. Descartes included the perfect preacher among the rarest kind in the world. Hitler in his Mein Kamp has expressed a similar view. He says "A great theorist is seldom a great leader. An Agitator is more likely to posses these qualities. He will always be a great leader. For leadership means ability to move masses of men. The talents to produce ideas has nothing in common with capacity for leadership." "But", he says, "The Union of theorists, organizer and leader in one man, is the rarest phenomenon on this earth; Therein consists greatness." In the person of the Prophet of Islam the world has seen this rarest phenomenon walking on the earth, walking in flesh and blood. And more wonderful still is what the reverend Bosworth Smith remarks, "Head of the state as well as the Church, he was Caesar and Pope in one; but, he was pope without the pope's claims, and Caesar without the legions of Caesar, without an standing army, without a bodyguard, without a palace, without a fixed revenue. If ever any man had the right to say that he ruled by a right divine It was Mohammad, for he had all the power without instruments and without its support. He cared not for dressing of power. The simplicity of his private life was in keeping with his public life." After the fall of Mecca, more than one million square miles of land lay at his feet, Lord of Arabia, he mended his own shoes and coarse woolen garments, milked the goats, swept the hearth, kindled the fire and attended the other menial offices of the family. The entire town of Medina where he lived grew wealthy in the later days of his life. Everywhere there was gold and silver in plenty and yet in those days of prosperity many weeks would elapse without a fire being kindled in the hearth of the king of Arabia, His food being dates and water. His family would go hungry many nights successively because they could not get anything to eat in the evening. He slept on no soften bed but on a palm mat, after a long busy day to spend most of his night in prayer, often bursting with tears before his creator to grant him strength to discharge his duties. As the reports go, his voice would get choked with weeping and it would appear as if a cooking pot was on fire and boiling had commenced. On the very day of his death his only assets were few coins a part of which went to satisfy a debt and rest was given to a needy person who came to his house for charity. The clothes in which he breathed his last had many patches. The house from where light had spread to the world was in darkness because there was no oil in the lamp. Circumstances changed, but the prophet of God did not. In victory or in defeat, in power or in adversity, in affluence or in indigence, he is the same man, disclosed the same character. Like all the ways and laws of God, Prophets of God are unchangeable. An honest man, as the saying goes, is the noblest work of God, Mohammad was more than honest. He was human to the marrow of his bones. Human sympathy, human love was the music of his soul. To serve man, to elevate man, to purify man, to educate man, in a word to humanize man-this was the object of his mission, the be-all and end all of his life. In thought, in word, in action he had the good of humanity as his sole inspiration, his sole guiding principle. He was most unostentatious and selfless to the core. What were the titles he assumed? Only true servant of God and His Messenger. Servant first, and then a messenger. A Messenger and prophet like many other prophets in every part of the world, some known to you, many not known you. If one does not believe in any of these truths one ceases to be a Muslim. It is an article of faith. "Looking at the circumstances of the time and unbounded reverence of his followers" says a western writer "the most miraculous thing about Mohammad is, that he never claimed the power of working miracles." Miracles were performed but not to propagate his faith and were attributed entirely to God and his inscrutable ways. He would plainly say that he was a man like others. He had no treasures of earth or heaven. Nor did he claim to know the secrets of that lie in womb of future. All this was in an age when miracles were supposed to be ordinary occurrences, at the back and call of the commonest saint, when the whole atmosphere was surcharged with supernaturalism in Arabia and outside Arabia. He turned the attention of his followers towards the study of nature and its laws, to understand them and appreciate the Glory of God. The Quran says, "God did not create the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in play. He did not create them all but with the truth. But most men do not know." The world is not illusion, nor without purpose. It has been created with the truth. The number of verses inviting close observation of nature are several times more than those that relate to prayer, fasting, pilgrimage etc. all put together. The Muslim under its influence began to observe nature closely and this give birth to the scientific spirit of the observation and experiment which was unknown to the Greeks. While the Muslim Botanist Ibn Baitar wrote on Botany after collecting plants from all parts of the world, described by Myer in his Gesch. der Botanikaa-s, a monument of industry, while Al Byruni traveled for forty years to collect mineralogical specimens, and Muslim Astronomers made some observations extending even over twelve years. Aristotle wrote on Physics without performing a single experiment, wrote on natural history, carelessly stating without taking the trouble to ascertain the most verifiable fact that men have more teeth than animal. Galen, the greatest authority on classical anatomy informed that the lower jaw consists of two bones, a statement which is accepted unchallenged for centuries till Abdul Lateef takes the trouble to examine a human skeleton. After enumerating several such instances, Robert Priffault concludes in his well known book The making of humanity, "The debt of our science to the Arabs does not consist in starting discovers or revolutionary theories. Science owes a great more to Arabs culture; it owes is existence." The same writer says "The Greeks systematized, generalized and theorized but patient ways of investigation, the accumulation of positive knowledge, the minute methods of science, detailed and prolonged observation, experimental inquiry, were altogether alien to Greek temperament. What we call science arose in Europe as result of new methods of investigation, of the method of experiment, observation, measurement, of the development of Mathematics in form unknown to the Greeks. That spirit and these methods, concludes the same author, were introduced into the European world by Arabs." It is the same practical character of the teaching of Prophet Mohammad that gave birth to the scientific spirit, that has also sanctified the daily labors and the so called mundane affairs. The Quran says that God has created man to worship him but the word worship has a connotation of its own. Gods worship is not confined to prayer alone, but every act that is done with the purpose of winning approval of God and is for the benefit of the humanity comes under its purview. Islam sanctifies life and all its pursuits provided they are performed with honesty, justice and pure intents. It obliterates the age-long distinction between the sacred and profane. The Quran says if you eat clean things and thank God for it, it is an act of worship. It is saying of the prophet of Islam that Morsel of food that one places in the mouth of his wife is an act of virtue to be rewarded by God. Another tradition of the Prophet says "He who is satisfying the desire of his heart will be rewarded by God provided the methods adopted are permissible." A person was listening to him exclaimed 'O Prophet of God, he is answering the calls of passions, is only satisfying the craving of his heart. Forthwith came the reply, "Had he adopted an awful method for the satisfaction of his urge, he would have been punished; then why should he not be rewarded for following the right course." This new conception of religion that it should also devote itself to the betterment of this life rather than concern itself exclusively with super mundane affairs, has led to a new orientation of moral values. Its abiding influence on the common relations of mankind in the affairs of every day life, its deep power over the masses, its regulation of their conception of rights and duty, its suitability and adaptability to the ignorant savage and the wise philosopher are characteristic features of the teaching of the Prophet of Islam. But it should be most carefully born in mind this stress on good actions is not the sacrifice correctness of faith. While there are various school of thought, one praising faith at the expense of deeds, another exhausting various acts to the detriment of correct belief, Islam is based on correct faith and righteous actions. Means are important as the end and ends are as important as the means. It is an organic Unity. Together they live and thrive. Separate them and both decay and die. In Islam faith can not be divorced from the action. Right knowledge should be transferred into right action to produce the right results. How often the words came in Quran -- Those who believe and do good thing, they alone shall enter paradise. Again and again, not less than fifty times these words are repeated as if too much stress can not be laid on them. Contemplation is encouraged but mere contemplation is not the goal. Those who believe and do nothing can not exist in Islam. These who believe and do wrong are inconceivable. Divine law is the law of effort and not of ideals. It chalks out for the men the path of eternal progress from knowledge to action and from action to satisfaction. But what is the correct faith from which right action spontaneously proceeds resulting in complete satisfaction. Here the central doctrine of Islam is the Unity of God. There is no God but God is the pivot from which hangs the whole teaching and practice of Islam. He is unique not only as regards his divine being but also as regards his divine attributes. As regards the attributes of God, Islam adopts here as in other things too, the law of golden mean. It avoids on the one hand, the view of God which divests the divine being of every attribute and rejects, on the other, the view which likens him to things material. The Quran says, On the one hand, there is nothing which is like him, on the other , it affirms that he is Seeing, Hearing, Knowing. He is the King who is without a stain of fault or deficiency, the mighty ship of His power floats upon the ocean of justice and equity. He is the Beneficent, the Merciful. He is the Guardian over all. Islam does not stop with this positive statement. It adds further which is its most special characteristic, the negative aspects of problem. There is also no one else who is guardian over everything. He is the meander of every breakage, and no one else is the meander of any breakage. He is the restorer of every loss and no one else is the restorer of any loss what-so-over. There is no God but one God, above any need, the maker of bodies, creator of souls, the Lord of the day of judgment, and in short, in the words of Quran, to him belong all excellent qualities. Regarding the position of man in relation to the Universe, the Quran says: "God has made subservient to you whatever is on the earth or in universe. You are destined to rule over the Universe." But in relation to God, the Quran says: "O man God has bestowed on you excellent faculties and has created life and death to put you to test in order to see whose actions are good and who has deviated from the right path." In spite of free will which he enjoys, to some extent, every man is born under certain circumstances and continues to live under certain circumstances beyond his control. With regard to this God says, according to Islam, it is my will to create any man under condition that seem best to me. cosmic plans finite mortals can not fully comprehend. But I will certainly test you in prosperity as well in adversity, in health as well as in sickness, in heights as well as in depths. My ways of testing differ from man to man, from hour to hour. In adversity do not despair and do resort to unlawful means. It is but a passing phase. In prosperity do not forget God. God-gifts are given only as trusts. You are always on trial, every moment on test. In this sphere of life there is not to reason why, there is but to do and die. If you live in accordance with God; and if you die, die in the path of God. You may call it fatalism. but this type of fatalism is a condition of vigorous increasing effort, keeping you ever on the alert. Do not consider this temporal life on earth as the end of human existence. There is a life after death and it is eternal. Life after death is only a connection link, a door that opens up hidden reality of life. Every action in life however insignificant, produces a lasting effect. It is correctly recorded somehow. Some of the ways of God are known to you, but many of his ways are hidden from you. What is hidden in you and from you in this world will be unrolled and laid open before you in the next. the virtuous will enjoy the blessing of God which the eye has not seen, nor has the ear heard, nor has it entered into the hearts of men to conceive of they will march onward reaching higher and higher stages of evolution. Those who have wasted opportunity in this life shall under the inevitable law, which makes every man taste of what he has done, be subjugated to a course of treatment of the spiritual diseases which they have brought about with their own hands. Beware, it is terrible ordeal. Bodily pain is torture, you can bear somehow. Spiritual pain is hell, you will find it almost unbearable. Fight in this life itself the tendencies of the spirit prone to evil, tempting to lead you into iniquities ways. Reach the next stage when the self-accusing sprit in your conscience is awakened and the soul is anxious to attain moral excellence and revolt against disobedience. This will lead you to the final stage of the soul at rest, contented with God, finding its happiness and delight in him alone. The soul no more stumbles. The stage of struggle passes away. Truth is victorious and falsehood lays down its arms. All complexes will then be resolved. Your house will not be divided against itself. Your personality will get integrated round the central core of submission to the will of God and complete surrender to his divine purpose. All hidden energies will then be released. The soul then will have peace. God will then address you: "O thou soul that art at rest, and restest fully contented with thy Lord return to thy Lord. He pleased with thee and thou pleased with him; So enter among my servants and enter into my paradise." This is the final goal for man; to become, on the, one hand, the master of the universe and on the other, to see that his soul finds rest in his Lord, that not only his Lord will be pleased with him but that he is also pleased with his Lord. Contentment, complete contentment, satisfaction, complete satisfaction, peace, complete peace. The love of God is his food at this stage and he drinks deep at the fountain of life. Sorrow and defeat do not overwhelm him and success does not find him in vain and exulting. The western nations are only trying to become the master of the Universe. But their souls have not found peace and rest. Thomas Carlyle, struck by this philosophy of life writes "and then also Islam-that we must submit to God; that our whole strength lies in resigned submission to Him, whatsoever he does to us, the thing he sends to us, even if death and worse than death, shall be good, shall be best; we resign ourselves to God." The same author continues "If this be Islam, says Goethe, do we not all live in Islam?" Carlyle himself answers this question of Goethe and says "Yes, all of us that have any moral life, we all live so. This is yet the highest wisdom that heaven has revealed to our earth." Azmat N. Khan Sponsored by the MSA.

Posted by: P.K. Ashfaq from INDIA at February 16, 2006 06:06 AM (3NTIN)

76 WoW! That was a long and intersting answer Mr. Ashfaq! Good thing I made a tea! I found the bit about the sciences and how Mohammed crafted the islamic application to higher learning key, good stuff that! It was not the reply I was looking for though, as I was originally replying to several of your points, specifically. But very good insite into Islam nonetheless. The Code Reading that I was struck (in my heathen mind) with the feeling that Islam is same as other religons, in that, while they all have some elements of the code, it is mashed togather with superstition & myth of old. The code, is simply the original framework humans needed to follow to be successful when living in groups, animals do it to, with there own versions code. These things are, well, things that seem wrong, killing folks, stealing, these are wrong no matter what you belive, correct? Enter any religon, and the code now comes with stories, to help understand & illustrate the codes obvious rules. Sub-sets & contradiction come into play, interuprations and reality is split, from day to day living, and notions of judging gods that oversee ones every move (that sounds a lot like Santa Claus...!) In a way, the religous notion of the code effectively makes the beliver imediatly subserviant to the going doctrine, elinating free will to a degree, lest he be eternaly damned...I think that is a very affective way of enforcement. But it is frightening zealotry that is terrible, warring over religous ideologies, and the faithful follow the directions of apparently a Universal intelligence, who does not give interviews. If I can just vear off wickedly and pose another interesting hypothetical question, it may seem slightly absurb, but please, humour me! What would be the faithfuls answer to other civilzations somewhere in space? Ok, now what if said aliens had a different religon, but theirs is like, a million years old, and seems to be providing some real results. Would you bail & go to the obviously more divine? What if they are all 80' tall, and don't want to be called a infidel, now what do you do! Ok, a little bit of wackyness at the end, no reason we can't have it a little lighter sometimes!

Posted by: Invisablemaninthesky at February 16, 2006 01:54 PM (HLCzY)

77 The free press could take up Iranians on their desire to publish cartoons on the Holocaust. At first, the notion of a cartoon on the Holocaust seems blasphemous. But, on the second thought, there are some aspects of the Holocaust that could fit on a cartoon. Imagine the pictures of: 1) The muifti of Jerusalem urging Hitler to implement the "final solution". 2) Free nations of Europe and America closing their doors to Jews trying to escapoe Nazis. 3) Good citizens of occupied countries gloating over the demise of Jews being herded to Ghettos, eager to seize their property. 4) British air force refusing to bomb the railroads to death camps: "There are more important targets..." 5) Nazi camp survivors being thrown by Bruitish to concentration camps for their desire to immigrate to Palestine. 6) A Swiss bank denying claims on Holocaust victims' life insurances: "Where are the death certificates from the camps?" 7) The late Simon Wiesenthal fishing Eichman out from his hiding place with a sarcastic remark like "There is no Iranian president out there yet to argue for your innocence!" My favorite: Iranian president himself staring at many volumes of the Nuremberg tribunal documents, muttering: "Still, there is not enough evidence..." I cannot draw. I offer these ideas free to any cartoonist talented enough to draw the cartoons, and to any newspaper courageous enough to publish them.

Posted by: Slava at February 20, 2006 08:23 PM (VZLMZ)

78 The point everyone seems to be missing here is that, The Europeans are doing something that is illigal in Islamic nations, now the Iranaian paper is going to do something thats illigal (prison illigal) in the west... I basiclly go to a Jewish school, Have 100s of jewish friends but sadlly the Iranian paper is making a very convincing argument. Btw, dont be iggorant rambling on thinking Iran is a 2nd Germany (WW2), In Iran there is a jewish repesentative in parliment, also a christian representative, well presented compaired to the 98% muslim population of the country... Peace, and always check ur facts.

Posted by: Memory at February 20, 2006 11:19 PM (0PT9r)

79 here on earth everything changes with time but over the years that man has walked this planet his thought has not evolved. mankind still fights for justice. but for justice to function requires a timeless environment. an environment that leaves no void for a need to change in time. but here on earth everything changes with time. justice can only be acheived when there is timelessness...

Posted by: peace at February 25, 2006 03:41 PM (em+k3)

80 Ashfaq. According to your lengthy tirade about Mohammed, I find it strangely coincidental that Mohammed and one Adolf Hitler seem to share the same birthday. Both were born on April 20, 571 and April 20, 1889 respectively. Just a little nugget of historical fact. Maybe someone should make a cartoon about that and kill two birds with one stone.

Posted by: ooops at February 26, 2006 07:09 AM (u3bd/)

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