Friday, June 8, 2007

Community Censorship Plagues the House of Islam

Even worse than the official censorship is censorship imposed by the community, which then becomes self-censorship. Friends, colleagues and even ordinary acquaintances all impose strict censorship rules on me under the guise of being concerned about my personal safety or honor. They demand that I tone down my strong views about sensitive issues.
Freedom of the press in the Muslim world cannot be separated from freedom of expression in general. Journalists, due to their conspicuous public role, risk their lives everyday. They have been targeted and killed in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Palestine, Somalia, Sudan and other countries. The Muslim world is not a friendly place for freedom of speech at all.
Journalists, creative writers and artists all share the same fate. The writer in a Muslim society is in shackles. Every time I put pen to paper it is a struggle against the tyranny of community-imposed self-censorship. Nowhere is Rousseau's statement that "Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains," truer than in the House of Islam.
Everything is a taboo. Whenever a Muslim writer takes up a pen he starts tiptoeing in a minefield. You have to follow the flag signs of religious, cultural and social taboos. You should tread carefully avoid shame, social estrangement or even death.
The beheading of the Sudanese journalist Mohamed Taha Mohamed Ahmed in early September was the latest example of community punishment of a journalist/writer.
Writers have to endure internet blockages and black ink splashed on their art magazines and school textbooks. One of the most bizarre censorship actions I have ever seen was the blotting out of the sexual organs of a historical picture of donkey standing in an old Arabian market.
In the House of Islam, you cannot have a principle other than that of the community. Every thing you do is referred to Islam. The mantra is "that's stupid BUT...But we cannot do this because we are Muslims." One hears this expression ad nauseam. In the Islamic world you cease to be a human being. You become only a Muslim, whatever that entails.
You are not allowed to be a person with vices and virtues, you cannot follow your own reasoning, and you cannot be unpopular or defend an unpopular idea. You cannot go out of the circle. To express yourself freely means to risk death. And death indeed if you change your faith. Invention itself is considered as an act of blasphemy.
.......
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To survive in such unfriendly atmosphere like this, journalists in the Muslim world have become like parrots that only echo the official line. Torn between the call of professionalism and that of censorship, they have to always adhere to the call of the latter. If it takes a village to raise a child in Africa, it takes a community to kill a writer, artist and a journalist in the Muslim world.

By Bashir Goth. He is a veteran journalist, freelance writer, the first Somali blogger and editor of a leading news website.

Further reading:

Intellectual Censorship in Islam: A Matter of Life and Death

Censorship, Violence, Hate, And Persecution - In The Name of Islam

Islamic Censorship Has Struck Youtube!

Censorship and Persecution in the Name of Islam

Govt Bans 37 Publications On Islam

30 comments:

Ghassan said...

The practices carried out by followers of religions do not always have a basis in the religions they follow. What a Muslim does is not necessarily Islamic, what a Christian does is not necessarily Christian and so on. As such, many of the legal and cultural practices followed in many Muslim countries today have no basis in Islam. In relation to freedom of religion and freedom of expression, the following verses of the Qur'an make it very clear that God guarantees human beings the right to freedom of religion and the expression of their faiths in all forms:
- "There is no compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clear from error."
- "Let him who wishes to believe, do so; and let him who wishes to disbelieve, do so."
- "And so, exhort them; your task is only to exhort: you cannot compel them."
Since Maldives is an Islamic country, Maldivians should be able to practice their right to freedom of religion which is guaranteed by God in the Qur'an. Many Maldivian apostates are demanding today that, during the on-going constitutional reform process, Article 7 of the Constitution of the Republic of Maldives should be amended. Article 7 of the Constitution states that "The religion of the State of the Maldives shall be Islam." They feel that this Article of the Constitution violates the freedom of religion. Article 7 has continuously been abused, for political purposes, by both the government of the Maldives and the opposition; the government claiming that the opposition's demands to remove the Presidential Appointees in the People's Special Majlis (the constitutional assembly) is part of a secret plan to gain majority in the Majlis and then amend Article 7, and the opposition claiming that the government has continuously violated Article 7 by being negligent about cases of apostasy and Christian missionary activities in the Maldives. I find all of this very ironic. Islam gives us the right to freedom of religion and if anything needs to be amended to facilitate for the legal practice of this right, it is not Article 7 of the Constitution, but other laws such as those which prevent non-Muslims from becoming citizens of the Maldives.
The allegations made by some that the penalty for apostasy in Islam is death are absolutely false. God says in the Qur'an: "But as for him who, after guidance has been plainly conveyed to him, opposes the Messenger and follows a path other than that of the believers - him shall We leave unto that which he himself has chosen...". God says that He will let the rejector of faith practice his/her choice; God does not say that such a person should be killed. God, speaking about a particular category of people, describes their characteristics in the following words: "...those who believe, then disbelieve, then believe again, then disbelieve, and then increase in their disbelief...". How can a person go on believing and disbelieving if that person is supposed to be killed when he/she disbelieves for the first time ? It is obvious that God does not command us to kill the apostates. As for the claims made by some that death penalty for apostates is supported by Hadith (statements attributed to the Prophet, whatever goes against the Qur'an is complete falsehood (even if it is said to be a Hadith) and we need not follow such falsehood. God strictly warns people not to make such claims and not to attribute falsehood to God's religion. God says in the Qur'an: "Therefore, woe to those who write the Book with their own hands, and then say: "this is from God", in order to acquire a trifling gain thereby; so, woe to them for what their hands do write, and woe to them for the gain they make thereby."
As for freedom of expression, Islam upholds the right to freedom of expression. It has been made clear from the verses of the Qur'an mentioned above that God gives us the right to freely express our faith in all forms. Islam goes even further and guarantees the right to freedom of expression in relation to all matters, and does not limit the freedom of expression except based on grounds such as the protection of national security and the prevention of libel and slander. Hence, Maldivian laws preventing the import and use of religious materials other than that of Islam are contradictory to the teachings of God as revealed in the Qur'an, and therefore these laws need to be amended. The fact that Islam does not limit the freedom of expression on religious grounds is clear from the following verse of the Qur'an, in which God says to the Prophet: "We know best what they say. You are not a dictator over them". Islam does not support suppression of thoughts and ideas. The censorship so evident in Muslim countries today is in clear contrast to God's commandments.

Bakuru said...

Don't be balmy Ghassan. There is no freedom in Islam other than freedom to convert into Islam, freedom to kiss the Black Stone, freedom to kill critics of Islam and so on.

You have used the oft-misused quotes:

- "There is no compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clear from error."
- "Let him who wishes to believe, do so; and let him who wishes to disbelieve, do so."

Before you use these quotes to mislead the world into believing that Islam allows freedom, think about when they were uttered by Mohamed and under what circumstances. They were addressed to his tribe who were persecuting him and his motley followers when he had no power. Mohamed was really begging his kinsmen to let him and his followers worship one rather than all of their tribal gods.

His conduct following his propulsion to power by means of rape, pillage and plunder showed that there was indeed compulsion in his religion. What he meant was that there was no compulsion for non-Muslims to remain in their religions.

Read the quotes as meaning:

- "There is no compulsion in religion (other than in Islam). Truth (of Islam) stands out clear from error (of other religions)."
- "Let him who wishes to believe (in Islam), do so; and let him who wishes to disbelieve (in other religions), do so."

Mohamed never allowed Muslims to convert out of Islam nor has any Islamic society allows that.

Ghassan, don’t fool yourself. You are certainly not fooling anyone else.

Ghassan said...

Hello, Bakuru. I'm not being "balmy", but you appear to be doing a very bad spin job. You have managed to avoid the real issues i mentioned. Instead, you have created a little fairy tale about Prophet Mohamed by accusing him of "rape, pillage and plunder"...but, hey...you don't seem to stop there...you have gone further and done a little modification of 2 verses from the Qur'an too...that won't pull the wool over our eyes...anyone who reads the Qur'an and then reads your own quotation of those 2 verses will immediately discover that those strange-looking brackets you have placed in your own quotation are NOT there in the Qur'an...you have not found any verse in the Qur'an which says something like "kill the apostates" or "you have no right to leave Islam for another religion"...you cannot find such a verse, because there are no such verses in the Qur'an, and so you have done some modification...no wonder God speaks in the Qur'an about people who "write the Book with their own hands, and then say: "this is from God"...are you a spokesperson from God or something to say that there was a mistake in the recording of the Qur'an and God would now like to add some brackets ???????...by the way, i came across the following verses of the Bible...and they look so troubling...and i was just wondering whether you could add some of those mysterious brackets of yours to these verses...

- Deuteronomy 13:6-11:
If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, "Let us go and worship other gods" (gods that neither you nor your fathers have known, gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), do not yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity. Do not spare him or shield him. You must certainly put him to death. Your hand must be the first in putting him to death, and then the hands of all the people. Stone him to death, because he tried to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and no one among you will do such an evil thing again.

- Deuteronomy 13:12-16:
If you hear it said about one of the towns the LORD your God is giving you to live in that wicked men have arisen among you and have led the people of their town astray, saying, "Let us go and worship other gods" (gods you have not known), then you must inquire, probe and investigate it thoroughly. And if it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done among you, you must certainly put to the sword all who live in that town. Destroy it completely, both its people and its livestock. Gather all the plunder of the town into the middle of the public square and completely burn the town and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God. It is to remain a ruin forever, never to be rebuilt.

...now, how about those brackets ???????...cheerio...

Anonymous said...

Sura (9:5) - So when the sacred months have passed away, then slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captives and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush, then if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, leave their way free to them

Anonymous said...

Muslim (1:33) - the Messenger of Allah said: I have been commanded to fight against people till they testify that there is no god but Allah, that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah

Anonymous said...

hey gassan. Are those verses really from bible. I can't believe it. And brothers, tell me he was lying! i cannot turn into christianity if those verses are true! :(

Anonymous said...

: "ask not questions about things which, if made plain to you, may cause you trouble"
mohamed bin abdullah

stay ignorant is better says mohammed prophet of islam

Bakuru said...

Oh Ghassan, did you not realise that I placed the words in parenthesis for emphasis. I thought that was patently self-evident from what I said immediately before. I simply copied and pasted what you have quoted and added the parenthesised words to make my point clear.

I realise parentheses are not a punctuation that Mohamed used in his mus-haf (Koranic text) but they are regularly added by modern-day Muslim translators in order to distort the meaning of the Koran.

You are the one who appears not to be addressing the real issue by throwing those red-herrings from the Bible. Could you not defend Islam without using the Bible (or a bomb)?

Anonymous said...

hey bakuru.wherez the bomb ? ghassan never used a bomb.

Bakuru said...

When confronted about the source of all evil that is Islam, Muslims' first line of defence is throwing red herrings about the Bible. It is always the Bible; never the Guru Granth Sahib or the Bhagavad Gita. Why is that? Muslims already believe that the Bible is a “corrupt” book. So why refer to a “corrupt” book in order to establish the "validity" of the terror-sex manual that is the Koran? Can the Koran not stand up to itself? Why does Allah/Mohamed need the Bible to establish his authenticity?

When all else fails the next line of defence is walking into an underground tube station with a rucksack, or stabbing an author in the chest or killing a breastfeeding mother!

Bakuru said...

If you quote from the Bible in order to convince yourself (no one else is convinced) that the Koran looks good, all you are doing is proving that the Koran is relative "truth". Indeed you are inadvertently agreeing with us non-Muslims that there is no absolute truth in the Koran.

Anonymous said...

Ghassan, you have addressed a complex issue in your first post on this page, but with some flaws:

The constitutional article 7 does not have to be revoked or amended for Maldivian non-Muslims to be able to assert our international treaty right of being able to practise our respective religions or no religion in the open here in Maldives. It is the Sharia provision that makes apostasy a capital offence that needs to be abolished. In England and Wales, for example, the Church of England is the state religion and that doesn’t stop you Muslims being able to build mosques and preach hate there. However much you may wish to misguide yourself, the Sharia does not tolerate apostasy. Mohamed never spared anyone who left Islam. They were all killed without exception.

I haven’t heard of any opposition party or politician demanding that Article 7 should be removed. On the contrary they are all demanding that Islam be preserved as the sole religion allowed to be practised here.

The citizenship law has absolutely nothing to do with Maldivian non-Muslims. We are already Maldivians and the citizenship act does not affect us at all.

Anonymous said...

why all the spinning ? we dont need the bible to establish the validity of the Qur'an. why ghassan qouted from the bible is because you guys seem to be defending christianity a lot in this blog.and bakurus profile says he's located at St Peter's Square : Vatican. hahahahaa.ghassan just wanted to show that the bible is more flawed than you are imajining the Qur'an is. you guys have written at the top of this blog that you want your rights as human beings. if your purpose is fighting for your rights why is almost everything on this blog an attack on Islam or a promosion of christianity or atheism. your blog is going way off track. ghassan even told you what maybe done to achieve your rights. you don't seem to understand what a constitution is. you don't seem to understand that there are reservations to international treaties. who r u trying to fool ? there's no sharia provision that makes apostasy a capital offense. the church of england ? hahahahah. 1400 years ago Prophet Mohamed allowed christians to perform their prayers in the mosque at Medina. where was this church of england at that time and what was it doing ? ghassan didnt say that opposition parties and politicians are trying to remove article 7. he said the government is saying the opposition are trying to do that. if the citizenship law does not affect you why are you guys so afraid to reveal your names. ghassan is also saying something against majority view but atleats hez not afraid to reveal his identity.

kandu koss said...

i love to read you guys debating..please continue...

Anonymous said...

Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralyzes the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world.

Anonymous said...

Dhivehi Muslim said: "…show that the bible is more flawed than you are imajining the Qur'an is". Exactly Bakuru's point regarding absolute truth! When you say "more flawed" you are admitting that the Koran is flawed, but to a lesser degree than what you may think the Bible is. That makes you feel good. That is an admission by you that the Koran is not the absolute truth.

Yes there are reservations to international treaties. Some are ridiculous and others are down right contrary to other treaties. A reservation does not mean that in the view of other treaty parties, a dissenting state is absolved of its obligations. There are also such things as objections to reservations.

Islam attacks our human right to practise our faiths or no faith. I mean real Islam, as applicable in any Islamic country in the world today or at any other time in the past. Not the Islam that is a figment of your imagination.

Mohamed may have allowed a Christian to pray in his hut. Didn't he run to a Christian (his wife's cousin) when he thought he saw a spook? That does not mean that he did not kill all Muslims who left Islam. He also banned all religions other than Islam from the Arabian Peninsula. Get your facts right, old chap!

We are not talking about some imaginary time in the past. Right now, the fact is that the Church of England tolerates mosques to be built and used in England and does not object to Christians being converted to Islam. Islam does not tolerate Muslims converting to any other faith and certainly does not, and never did, permit Muslim converts in Muslim countries openly practise their faiths. Face it old chap... that is the plain fact!

"why are you guys so afraid to reveal your names.." That has nothing to do with the citizenship law. We are not balmy and have no burning desire to be imprisoned and tortured by your Islamic supreme council. We do not wish to be illegally arrested and dumped in the back of a van like they did to Aniya. She was spared only because the international community intervened on her behalf. Those who were arrested in 1998 were tortured for some weeks before the international community became aware of their fate.

Anonymous said...

ah. more spinning from you guys. we r not surprised. i didnt say he wanted to show the bible is more flawed than the Qur'an. i said he "wanted to show that the bible is more flawed than you are imajining the Qur'an is". you missed the word "imagining". in your imagination the Qur'an is flawed. and he showed that the bible is more flawed than even that. if our view of Islam is different from your "real" Islam why is the Qur'an matching our view and not your distorted view of it.

Prophet Mohamed did not kill any Muslim for leaving Islam. and he did not ban all religions other than Islam from the arabian peninsula. i know what you are talking about. its a Hadith. a statement attributed to the Prophet. and that Hadith is a fabrication. i've got my facts right, old chap!

the true followers of Islam promoted religious freedom and civilization while your churches were torturing and killing scientists and people of knowledge on charges of so called "heresy". i know Muslims today do not allow other Muslims to convert into other religions but that is not what Islam teaches us.

anyway, we do not support what the government did to Aniya and those apostates in the late 90s.

Anonymous said...

What you are saying is that the biographers of Mohamed were wrong. These people were Muslims who were respected by Muslims for centuries. Now you are saying they were all wrong because what they have written about your terrorist prophet embarrasses you. That is what I call a convenient cop-out!

Name just one person who left Islam while Mohamed was in power that was not killed. Now that is your homework. Go home and ask mullah-sahib to fabricate a lie for you!

The fact is that no Islamic country allows any Muslim to leave Islam. The fact is that no Christian country prevents any Christian from leaving Christianity. Work it out for yourself who is insecure!

If you wish to draw parallels with a flawed document and the Koran, why don’t you compare it with the Alf Laylah wa Layla (Arabian Nights)? The comparison would be easier for you.

Anonymous said...

Guruvaan = Alifulaalaa Vaahaka

Anonymous said...

yes! we do get it! we know you are non-moslems. So live your non-moslem lives to the fullest. I wudnt comment on what Christianity is or is not. Simply because i really dnt have the capacity in terms of the books, the knowledge or the proper framework within which to actually analyse the biblic versus. From your writings it is clear that you do not have capacity to analyze Islam either. Simply quoting some unauthentic hadhith or taking the literal meaning of quruanic versus wouldnt help your course either.
Just to reiterate my point, yes we do understand that you guys are non-moslems. So live your life to the fullest and do not talk of stuff that you do not know. And about you getting rights in the maldives as non-moslems. I have to say its gonna be hard for you guys to get it. Not because most maldivians are strict moslems. To tell the truth, when it comes to islam i think we are the worst. But most Maldivians hate Christianity, they have strong hatred towards them (by the way this is not taught by islam - its the government propaganda to get public support . So yea, its gonna be hard but good luck. and dnt bull crap about things that you do not know- such a gay thing to do, rly.
=lifeless=

Ghassan said...

" e pur si muove " - Galileo Galilei

Anonymous said...

From the comments here by Maldivian non-Muslims and Maldivian Muslims, no one could honestly doubt that most non-Muslim commentators here have a deeper and more profound knowledge of Islam than any Muslim.

Three years ago it was unthinkable that in Maldives, the word "party" would have anything other than eating and making merry. Political parties were simply out of the question. Look at what we have now. Political parties are growing out of everyone's ears. So no, I don't think, with the level of international support that we have for our cause, and given Maldives' desperate dependence on international finance, the day we will be able to practise our non-Muslim faiths openly here in Maldives is too far away. Islam’s outrageous ban on conversions out of that cult would be history.

Christianity in Maldives is here to stay and grow at the phenomenal rate that it is growing now. Good luck, anyway for your laughable dream of a 100% Islamic Maldives.

Anonymous said...

hey maldivian christian check out http://www.irf.net...n download quran n bible in the light of science n see whether ur bible fits the new age.......

Anonymous said...

If you glance through the Bible and the Qur’an you may find several points which appear to be exactly the same in both of them, but when you analyse them closely, you realise that there is a difference of ‘chalk and cheese’ between them. Only based on historical details it is difficult for someone who is neither conversant with Christianity or Islam to come to a firm decision as to which of the scriptures is true; however if you verify the relevant passages of both the scriptures against scientific knowledge, you will yourself realize the truth.

Anonymous said...

#

Creation of the Universe in Six Days
As per the Bible, in the first book of Genesis in Chapter One, the universe was created in six days and each day is defined as a twenty-four hours period. Even though the Qur’an mentions that the universe was created in six ‘Ayyaams’, ‘Ayyaam’ is the plural of years; this word has two meanings: firstly, it means a standard twenty-four hours period i.e. a day, and secondly, it also means stage, period or epoch which is a very long period of time.

When the Qur’an mentions that the universe was created in six ‘Ayyaams’, it refers to the creation of the heavens and the earth in six long periods or epochs; scientists have no objection to this statement. The creation of the universe has taken billions of years, which proves false or contradicts the concept of the Bible which states that the creation of the Universe took six days of twenty-four hour durations each.
#

Sun Created After the Day
The Bible says in chapter 1, verses 3-5, of Genesis that the phenomenon of day and night was created on the first day of creation of the Universe by God. The light circulating in the universe is the result of a complex reaction in the stars; these stars were created according to the Bible (Genesis chapter 1 verse 14 to 19) on the fourth day. It is illogical to mention the result that is the light (the phenomenon of day and night) was created on the first day of Creation when the cause or source of the light was created three days later. Moreover the existence of evening and morning as elements of a single day is only conceivable after the creation of the earth and its rotation around the sun. In contrast with the contents of the Bible on this issue, the Qur’an does not give any unscientific sequence of Creation. Hence it is absolutely absurd to say that Prophet Muhummad (pbuh) copied the passages pertaining to the creation of the universe from the Bible but missed out this illogical and fantastic sequence of the Bible.
#

Creation of the Sun, The Earth and the Moon
According to the Bible, Book of Genesis, chapter 1, verses 9 to 13, the earth was created on the third day, and as per verses 14 to 19, the sun and the moon were created on the fourth day. The earth and the moon emanated, as we know, from their original star, the Sun. Hence to place the creation of the sun and the moon after the creation of the earth is contrary to the established idea about the formation of the solar system.
#

Vegetation Created on the third day and Sun on the fourth day
According to the Bible, Book of Genesis, chapter 1, verses 11-13, vegetation was created on the third day along with seed-bearing grasses, plants and trees; and further on as per verses 14-19, the sun was created on the fourth day. How is it scientifically possible for the vegetation to have appeared without the presence of the sun, as has been stated in the Bible?

If Prophet Muhummad (pbuh) was indeed the author of the Qur’an and had copied its contents from the Bible, how did he manage to avoid the factual errors that the Bible contains? The Qur’an does not contain any statements which are incompatible with scientific facts.
#

The Sun and the Moon both Emit light
According to the Bible both the sun and the moon emit their own light. In the Book of Genesis, chapter 1, verse 16 says, "And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night".

Science tells us today that the moon does not have its own light. This confirms the Qur’anic concept that the light of the moon is a reflected light. To think that 1400 years ago, Prophet Muhummad (pbuh) corrected these scientific errors in the Bible and then copied such corrected passages in the Qur’an is to think of something impossible.

Anonymous said...

PROPHET MUHAMMAD (pbuh) IN THE BIBLE
by Dr. Zakir Naik

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in the Old Testament:


The Qur’an mentions in Surah Al-Araf chapter 7 verse 157:

"Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in their own (scriptures) in the law and the Gospel".

1.
MUHAMMAD (PBUH) PROPHESISED IN THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY:



Almighty God speaks to Moses in Book of Deuteronomy chapter 18 verse 18:

"I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and I will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him."

The Christians say that this prophecy refers to Jesus (pbuh) because Jesus (pbuh) was like Moses (pbuh). Moses (pbuh) was a Jew, as well as Jesus (pbuh) was a Jew. Moses (pbuh) was a Prophet and Jesus (pbuh) was also a Prophet.

If these two are the only criteria for this prophecy to be fulfilled, then all the Prophets of the Bible who came after
Moses (pbuh) such as Solomon, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Malachi, John the Baptist, etc. (pbut) will
fulfill this prophecy since all were Jews as well as prophets.

However, it is Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) who is like Moses (pbuh):

i)


Both had a father and a mother, while Jesus (pbuh) was born miraculously without any male intervention.

[Mathew 1:18 and Luke 1:35 and also Al-Qur'an 3:42-47]

ii)
Both were married and had children. Jesus (pbuh) according to the Bible did not marry nor had children.

iii)
Both died natural deaths. Jesus (pbuh) has been raised up alive. (4:157-158)



Muhammad (pbuh) is from among the brethren of Moses (pbuh). Arabs are brethren of Jews. Abraham (pbuh) had two sons: Ishmail and Isaac (pbut). The Arabs are the descendants of Ishmail (pbuh) and the Jews are the descendants of Isaac (pbuh).

Words in the mouth:

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was unlettered and whatever revelations he received from Almighty God he repeated them verbatim.

"I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him."

[Deuteronomy 18:18]

iv)
Both besides being Prophets were also kings i.e. they could inflict capital punishment. Jesus (pbuh) said, "My kingdom is not of this world." (John 18:36).

v)
Both were accepted as Prophets by their people in their lifetime but Jesus (pbuh) was rejected by his
people. John chapter 1 verse 11 states, "He came unto his own, but his own received him not."

iv)
Both brought new laws and new regulations for their people. Jesus (pbuh) according to the Bible did not bring any new laws. (Mathew 5:17-18).

2.
It is Mentioned in the book of Deuteronomy chapter 18:19



"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not harken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him."

3.
Muhammad (pbuh) is prophesised in the book of Isaiah:



It is mentioned in the book of Isaiah chapter 29 verse 12:

"And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned."

When Archangel Gabrail commanded Muhammad (pbuh) by saying Iqra - "Read", he replied, "I am not learned".

4.
prophet Muhammad (pbuh) mentioned by name in the old testament:



Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is mentioned by name in the Song of Solomon chapter 5 verse 16:

"Hikko Mamittakim we kullo Muhammadim Zehdoodeh wa Zehraee Bayna Jerusalem."

"His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters
of Jerusalem."

In the Hebrew language im is added for respect. Similarely im is added after the name of Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh) to make it Muhammadim. In English translation they have even translated the name of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as "altogether lovely", but in the Old Testament in Hebrew, the name of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is yet present.


Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in the New Testament:

Al-Qur'an Chapter 61 Verse 6:

"And remember, Jesus, the son of Mary, said, 'O Children of Israel! I am the messenger of Allah (sent) to you, confirming the Law (which came) before me and giving glad tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmed.' But when he came to them with clear signs, they said, 'This is evident sorcery!' "

All the prophecies mentioned in the Old Testament regarding Muhammad (pbuh) besides applying to the Jews also hold good for the Christians.

1.
John chapter 14 verse 16:
"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever."

2.
Gospel of John chapter 15 verse 26:

"But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which
proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me."

3.
Gospel of John chapter 16 verse 7:



"Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not
come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you".

"Ahmed" or "Muhammad" meaning "the one who praises" or "the praised one" is almost the translation of the
Greek word Periclytos. In the Gospel of John 14:16, 15:26, and 16:7. The word 'Comforter' is used in the English translation for the Greek word Paracletos which means advocate or a kind friend rather than a comforter.
Paracletos is the warped reading for Periclytos. Jesus (pbuh) actually prophesised Ahmed by name. Even the
Greek word Paraclete refers to the Prophet (pbuh) who is a mercy for all creatures.

Some Christians say that the Comforter mentioned in these prophecies refers to the Holy Sprit. They fail to realise
that the prophecy clearly says that only if Jesus (pbuh) departs will the Comforter come. The Bible states that the
Holy Spirit was already present on earth before and during the time of Jesus (pbuh), in the womb of Elizabeth, and again when Jesus (pbuh) was being baptised, etc. Hence this prophecy refers to none other than Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh).

4.
Gospel of John chapter 16 verse 12-14:

"I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is
come, he will guide you unto all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me".

The Sprit of Truth, spoken about in this prophecy referes to none other than Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

NOTE: All quotations of the Bible are taken from the King James Version.

Anonymous said...

so say sumthing if u can maldivian christians.............read the whole book before u follow it......hope ull get the guidance from Allah .....

Anonymous said...

Hellow!
Interesting debate!

The person who is styling himself as "dhivehi christian" has put forth this following task - "Name just one person who left Islam while Mohamed was in power that was not killed. Now that is your homework. Go home and ask mullah-sahib to fabricate a lie for you!"

Why so hateful and spiteful? Why can't you just put it like this, for instance; "Name a person who became an apostate during the time of Muhammad and was not killed?" Usually a person's hatred towards something is an indication of weakness in character. You seem so full of hatred towards Islam! You can be a Christian without been so spiteful!

As for the homework, we have already done that and there were a number of apostates during the lifetime of Muhammad and none of them were killed - in fact, each of them lived to meet natural deaths after being apostates. One of them even repented after his apostasy. Another person went on ranting on how he helped Muhammad "write the revelations" but Muhammad didn't come with a dagger on him!

Muhammad's biographers were not eye-witnesses who were present with him in his struggle to create a safe haven for the Truth. So their records cannot be taken as evidence against him. Even though you are ignorant of this fact, many Muslims (scholars and masses) in the past centuries strongly criticised those reports and biographies.

Your hatred of Islam makes you believe anything that might be helpful in your eternal war against Muhammad. You don't care whether a report comes from a person whose integrity and reliability can be questioned or not. As long as any report denigrates Muhammad's character, and enable you to abuse him, that report is true in your eyes!

We know that Christianity is spreading fast in this country. But Mr. Christian! Did you know that the conversion facts stand as thus: Ignorant, materialistic, and irrational people (like you) are running towards Christianity in illiterate countries like this, while educated and wise women and men in the educated societies in the West are running out of Christianity and into the bossom of Islam! Wattch Out!

Anonymous said...

mee ehves haalehgai thaakun tyhaaku jehey thaneh noon..bible vanee dhekolhu nujehey vaahaka thakun furifa..quran en thaakaun thaaku nujehey ehves thankolheh nudhekkeeyne..dhakkaifiyyaamu magumedhu ma barahanaakoh huregen hingaanan huvaa mikuree. bible ga vanee "TO EAT SHIT AND DRINK PISS." 2 KINGS I8:27 AND ISALAH 36:I2 mi dhen bayaku thabaa vaan koohcheh kaleymenves islam dheenah thabaa vaan beynun noon namaves mi thaakun thaaku jehey dheen hiyaaru nukurey moya kameh ey

Anonymous said...

magey comment ga nimey thaanag oh thaakun thaaku jehey ey bunevifa othee neygi rangalhu gothakee thaakun thaaku nujehey