I'm curious, just what constitutes "forced by necessity, without wilful disobedience..."?
At what point can a person legitimately be forgiven for eating pork and at what point is it just being lax?

Dear Chris,

You forgot to mention few other things the Koran also tells Muslims to follow. And please don't censor this because you're too afraid to stand up for the freedom of speech. These quotes all from the Koran, I didn't make them up. If you can post some Koran verses in your article, why can't others?

*** Killing non-Muslims:
Qur'an:9:5 "Fight and kill the disbelievers wherever you find them, take them captive, harass them, lie in wait and ambush them using every stratagem of war."

*** Hating Jews and Christians:
Qur'an 5:51 "Believers, take not Jews and Christians for your friends. They are but friends and protectors to each other."

*** World Domination:
Qur'an:8:39 "So fight them until there is no more Fitnah (disbelief [non-Muslims]) and all submit to the religion of Allah alone (in the whole world)."

*** Terrorism:
Ishaq:326 "Muhammad said, 'I was made victorious with terror.' The earth was made a place for me to clean."

*** Beating Wives:
Qur'an 4:34 "And those wives whose refractoriness ye fear, exhort them, and avoid them in beds, and beat them"

*** Taking Booty:
Qur'an 8:69 "So enjoy what you took as booty; the spoils are lawful and good."

This is AMERICA and there was never any problems with Islamic citizens, refugees or visitors until 9/11. w AMERICANS have bent over backwards trying to 'show' how we are not prejudice against muslims. But, now the Muslims in America are pushing their beliefs down our throats -- like AMERICA should cater to Islam! NOT!! We have gone too far to be PC and we shouldn't have to put up with nonsense from this extreme and anti-social religion. This religion calls suicide bombers heroes; but they dare to complain if they have to 'scan' pork products in AMERICA - the land of the FREE. Total nonsense for any American company to put up with. If Islamic people want to work in the AMERICAN public work force; then they will have to do ALL jobs... including scanning pork products AND driving (taxi) airline passengers carrying alcohol and/or dogs at OUR AMERICAN airports! Islam is an extremely intolerant religion that believes in killing 'infidels'. 6th Century mindsets; dominated by MEN and very cruel to its women. I have no time for this terroristic religion. GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Your reference to the Koran as the Holy Koran is insulting, and appears to be an attempt to suck up to Muslims. Your paper doesn't even refer to the Bible as the Holy Bible. Have a little boldness to call the Koran what it really is...the writings of Mohammed and his descendants or just the Koran.

Funny how your paper is also so fascinated with Islam. It would be preferable if you, the media, would leave these poor people alone and let them live their lives in peace. These people, who are Americans, aren't the nutcases who blow up buildings in the Middle East, but they live and work among us. As a Christian, I have beliefs that don't fit with mainstream society. So do Mormons, Hebrews, JW's, Buddhists, etc., and yet you single these people out, who act out of their own conscience. Let the companies they work for work out the problems.

I agree with a lot you have said here. This whole issue is no different than pharmacists who do not want to sell the morning-after pill or even worse, birth control pills. If you can't hack a part of a job because of your religious beliefs then don't take the position. End of story. This is a SECULAR society and don't forget it! A lot of us will fight to the bitter end to keep it that way.

Those comments sound very ,very prejeduce against not a religion but against a race. they are not shoving their beleifs down your throat they are just standing behind their convictions, in their quraun says they shall have no part of a the handling of a the meat, just like in our bible it says dont steal ,kill ect.
but we do anyway convictionless i think its great that they are so strongly standing by their beleifs if we could only do the same....AND THIS IS AMERICA THE LAND OF THE FREE LIKE YOU SAID AND THEIR JUST USING THEIR RIGHT OF THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS JUST LIKE YOU. AMERICA IS CHANGING GET USED TO IT BECAUSE THEY ARE'NT GOING ANYWHERE.

This whole sting of controvery from the U.S. Flight, to the cabbies at the airport, to the grocery store checkers and their issue with pork is an affront to American citizens. The sooner we say so, the better off we'll be for it. Muslims want to change America, to refashion it into a Muslim state. It's what they are doing elsewhere. I've heard the "religion of peace" mantra repeated, but I would ask, where is this peaceful place? Where are Islamists living in peace with others — they can't even live together with others sects of their own. Nope, you can't point to one. Read what happens if a Christian missionary goes to an Islamic state, or if a Muslim converts to Christianity. The either live in terror or die. That's what they aim to bring here. It's why these clowns can get on a flight and intimidate other passengers, and then have the brass to sue the airline and soon, the passengers. Oh, they've got our system down well. And make no mistake, they are coming to get your freedom. And it starts by muzzeling the voices of dissention through intimidation.

Question: why is it that the Star, oh, I mean Red Star Tribulation, cannot post Christian-related themes on Sunday (Traditionally a Christian observed day of rest), but only posts non-Christian themes?

1. Convert to Islam
2. Pay extortion money (the jizya)
3. Die

It adds an interesting spin when you hear this by a Muslim with religious convictions. Incidently, the jizya is only an option for Christians and Jews.

I wonder if Rep. Keith Ellison support an amendment to the Constitution as follows:

"Any religious order that infringes upon a person's inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness or that is subversive to this Constitution shall not be afforded the protection of the first amendment."

I seriously doubt if he would because it flies in the face of everything he stands for.

Qu'ran 8:39 "So fight them [context: non-Believers] until there is no more Fitnah [meaning: disbelief or atheism] and all submit to the religion of Allah alone (in the whole world)."

"Any religious order that infringes upon a person's inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness or that is subversive to this Constitution shall not be afforded the protection of the first amendment."

That would ban just all religions from the U.S. of A.

Do you, a devout Christian, stand for everything that is written in the Holy Bible? Old Testament and New Testament alike? Then I hope that you follow the Bible's directives for animal sacrifices properly, as well as going to the bathroom as proscribed in the Bible. OH, how many homosexuals and prostitutes have you stoned lately? It calls for such actions in the Bible. And you do stand for everything that is written in the Holy Bible, don't you?

Or is this ignorant hypocrisy tap dancing along the tubes of the Internets again?

From the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."

Islam brings peace like work brings freedom... If you do not understand what that means, ask a survivor of the Holocaust.

From the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."

Islam brings peace like work brings freedom... If you do not understand what that means, ask a survivor of the Holocaust.

If you are replying to my message, and are calling me devout, I thank you for your kind complement. If you were, will you please read my post again? But concerning the Bible, yes I believe it is 100% the word of God, and Jesus, his sacrifice on the cross, is the one sufficient sacrifice for my every sin according to John 3:16. I thank you for your bold, and kind response in this thread.

Please - do the same with the Bible, Old and New Testaments. The parts about handling snakes, smashing the heads of the unbelievers' children, etc. - then we can compare.

Additionally, what translation of the Qur'an is being used? That word "fitnah" can be translated in a variety of ways, for example.

This has been the subject of centuries of legal disputes and traditional solutions, i.e. you're starving and all that's there is pork - eat it. You're forced to handle it as part of a clean-up project - it's okay.

This has been the subject of centuries of legal disputes and traditional solutions, i.e. you're starving and all that's there is pork - eat it. You're forced to handle it as part of a clean-up project - it's okay.

This has been the subject of centuries of legal disputes and traditional solutions, i.e. you're starving and all that's there is pork - eat it. You're forced to handle it as part of a clean-up project - it's okay.

No matter how many times you repeat a non-sequitor, it is still a non-sequitor.

If your purpose in quoting the Declaration of Independence was to prove that the U.S. is a, "Christian nation," nice effort but it falls short. Thomas Jefferson references a generic creator—not God, not Jehovah, not Jesus, the Holy Trinity, not the Holy Spirit, not the Lord Our Father or any of the other terms used by Christians to refer to God™. Christianity does not have a corner on the creation market. Nearly every religion references has creation mythology which references a, "creator."

How on earth do you draw your conclusion from the Declaration of Independence?

All who curse their father or mother must be put to death. They are guilty of a capital offense. (Leviticus 20:9 NLT)

Whoever strikes his father or mother shall be put to death. (Exodus 21:15 NAB)

They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul; and everyone who would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, was to be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. (2 Chronicles 15:12-13 NAB)

Salaam,

Working At Supermarket Check Out
http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=1&ID=750&CATE=115

http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=1&ID=2622&CATE=43

Renting Property To Those Who Will Sell Alcohol, or Delivering Pizzas with Pork
http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=1&ID=401&CATE=43

hope these help.

Where does the Qur'an address scanning pork products at registers? I must be missing something.

If you read the link here:

http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=1&ID=750&CATE=115

It addresses it. The Qur'an is like a poem. You cannot read it in parts. You cannot extract what you want from it. You must read it as a whole. Jurists study the whole book, its implementation or Hadith(sayings and actions of Prophet Muhammad - peace and blessings upon him) - the linguistics, the history, psychology of times, etc., Out of that they extract laws.

Whatever is impermissible to eat is impermissible to sell, hence the prohibition on selling pork.

However - if it is not your supermarket - than you are not directly responsible for the sale of pork, but the owner is. So some jurists would argue that working as a cashier and scanning pork - is not the same as selling pork in your own supermarket, neither is transporting a Minnesotan from the airport who is carrying alcohol. You are doing the job of cashier or taxi driver.

It is different if you owned a supermaket and sold these things - than it is impermissible.

Others hold more strict opinions - but in that case again Islam asks that the Muslim find a different employment or ask their employer to put them elsewhere in the store instead of the cashier - unless it is their own store.

You can also read
Muslims living in nonMuslim lands
http://www.sunnah.org/articles/muslims_in_nonmuslim_lands.htm

Keep in mind when the Scholar says "potential Muslims" he is not referring to converting them to Islam - but to an understanding amongst Muslims. Which is that every person is potentially saved or condemned. No one has a green card to heaven. So a person could be on the outside corrupt - but although he is unconscious of it - being guided to Islam. A person could be a Muslim - and although unconscious of it - of those who are going to hell.

You never assume in Islam you are saved and others are condemned. This mindset is sinful. You rather think - there is a potential that you are going to hell and try hard to keep auditing yourself and calling yourself to account and the one before you who you perceive corrupt maybe guided to Islam.

Also this is good for reading:
Islam and the cultural imperative
http://nawawi.org/downloads/article3.pdf

Try to hear all the voices of Muslims and not just look for voices that strengthen your fears and suspicions that Muslims are taking over America.

Hope that helps.

Yes this is America the land of the free...however I believe you have to be an AMERICAN in order to live the life of the free. If you can't adapt to our ways here go back to where ever it is you came from. We are in AMERICA, we speak ENGLISH, we eat pork, beef, chicken, fish and many other things. You don't want to touch it or eat it, that is your choice but do not make it somebody else's problem. There are many jobs available that to do not involve food. Why should AMERICA change but IRAN doesn't? Why don't we make those people go back to where they came from and make their land be free as our ancestors fought for AMERICA to be the land of the free. Don't expect all of us to just lay down and let other people come here and take over our AMERICA.

Yes this is America the land of the free...however I believe you have to be an AMERICAN in order to live the life of the free. If you can't adapt to our ways here go back to where ever it is you came from. We are in AMERICA, we speak ENGLISH, we eat pork, beef, chicken, fish and many other things. You don't want to touch it or eat it, that is your choice but do not make it somebody else's problem. There are many jobs available that to do not involve food. Why should AMERICA change but IRAN doesn't? Why don't we make those people go back to where they came from and make their land be free as our ancestors fought for AMERICA to be the land of the free. Don't expect all of us to just lay down and let other people come here and take over our AMERICA.

The article states that Muslim religion says it's sinful of other people who eat pork. Who are they to judge anyone else? Enough of them shoving their crap down everyone else's throat. We do not have to be tolerant of them.

Excuse me???
Every "holy scripture" has some segments that are radical and extreme. The older the text, the higher the probability that the meaning is literally lost in translation. This is especially true if the words are changed from one or two languages into English.

There are endless examples. Take a basic theology class and you would be amazed. No scripture can be taken literally or you will be lost! Thus, don't spew hate over something that you haven't studied and don't understand.

Minnesota's "Nice" is Ice with a Knife if you are unique in any manner. Sad...

Excuse me! Most of the USA does not practice "stoning" or other "directives" from the Old Testament AND we have evolved since the most primative time. Jesus did not STONE the adultress woman at the well and I believe Jesus forgave many sinners during his time on earth, UNLIKE the muslims who are still beheading and torturing innocent people today (including using babies and children as pawns) Islam is NOT a religion of PEACE!!!

“Verily, for all men and women who have surrendered themselves to God, and all believing men and believing women, and all truly devout men and truly devout women, and all men and women who are true to their word, and all men and women who are patient in adversity, and all men and women who humble themselves (before God), and all men and women who give in charity, and all self-denying men and self-denying women, and all men and women who are mindful of their chastity, and all men and women who remember God unceasingly: for (all of) them has God readied forgiveness of sins and a mighty reward." (The Holy Quran, 33:35)

"The believers, both men and women, are protectors of one another. They enjoin what is just and forbid what is evil. They observe regular prayers, practice regular charity and obey God and His apostle. On them will God pour His mercy."

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately. . .Always adopt a middle, moderate, regular course, whereby you will reach your target (of Paradise)." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Hadith 470)

A wife of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: (The Prophet) never hit anyone with his hand, neither a woman nor a servant." (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1082)

The Prophet said: "The most perfect Muslim in the matter of faith is someone who has excellent behavior; and the best among you are those who behave best toward their wives." (Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 106)

"As for those who avoid the (truly) grave sins and shameful deeds - even though they may sometimes stumble - behold, thy Lord is abounding in forgiveness." (Holy Quran, 53:32)

"Say: 'We believe in God and that which is revealed to us; and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants, and that which was given to Moses, Jesus and other Prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to God we have surrendered ourselves.'" (The Holy Quran, 2:136)

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "When something weighs on your conscience, give it up." (Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 8)

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "(The relationship between one faithful believer and another) is like the bricks of a wall, re-enforcing each other." While (saying that) the Prophet clasped his hands (together) by interlacing his fingers. (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 1, Hadith 468)

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "While a man was walking, he felt very thirsty and went down a well, drank water from it and climbed out. When he came out, he saw a dog panting and licking mud because of excessive thirst. He said to himself: 'This dog is suffering from thirst as I did.' So he went down the well again, filled his shoe with water and (gave the water to the dog). God thanked him for that deed and forgave him (his sins)." The people then asked the Prophet: "Is there a reward for us in serving animals?" He replied: "Yes, there is a reward for serving any (living being)." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Hadith 646)

The Prophet also said: "A woman was punished (by God) because of a cat. She had neither provided her with food nor drink, nor set her free so that she might eat the insects of the earth." (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1047)

Narrated AbuDharr: "I said to the Prophet (Muhammad, peace be upon him). . .'Will you not appoint me to a public office?' He stroked my shoulder with his hand and said: 'AbuDharr, you are weak and authority is a trust, and on the Day of Judgment it is a cause of humiliation and repentance except for one who fulfills its obligations and (properly) discharges the duties attendant thereon.'" (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 842)

"Say: 'We believe in God and that which has been revealed to us; and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants, and that which was given to Moses, Jesus and other Prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to God we have surrendered ourselves." (Holy Quran, 2:136)

"Those who believe (in the Quran), and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Christians...and (all) who believe in God and the last day and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve." (Holy Quran, 2:62)

"The parable of those who choose protectors other than God is that of the spider that builds (itself) a dwelling. But truly, the flimsiest of dwellings is that of the spider." (Quran, 29:41)

"Be quick in the race for forgiveness from your Lord and for a garden whose width is that (of the whole) of the heavens and of the earth that has been prepared for the righteous. (The righteous are) those who spend (in His way), whether in prosperity or in adversity, who control their anger and forgive other people. For God loves those who do good." (The Holy Quran, 3:133-134)

“A man once came to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) with a piece of cloth and something in his hand. The man said: "I saw a group of trees and heard the sound of young birds. I took them and put them in my garment. Their mother then came and began to hover around my head. I showed (the chicks) to her, and she fell on them. I wrapped them (all) with my garment. They are now with me."
The Prophet said to his companions: "Are you surprised at the affection of the mother for her young?. . .God is more affectionate to His servants than a mother to her young ones. Take (the chicks) back and put them where you found them." (Sunan of Abu Dawood, Hadith 1359)

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Do not be people without minds of your own, saying that if others treat you well you will treat them well and that if they do wrong you will do wrong. But (instead) accustom yourselves to do good if people do good and not to do wrong if they do evil." (Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1325)

The Prophet also said: "Blessed is the person whom God has made a key for good and a lock for evil." (Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1366)

"God loves the righteous who are good to others." The Holy Quran, 3:148
"God loves those who put their trust in Him." 3:159
"God loves those who are fair and just." 49:9
"God loves those who are kind to others." 5:13
"God loves those who judge with fairness." 5:42
"For God loves those who do good deeds." 5:93
"In fact God loves the equitable." 60:8
"Surely God loves those who turn to Him in repentance." 2:222

“A man once came to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and requested to take part in a military campaign. The Prophet asked the man if his mother was still alive. When the man said that she was still living, the Prophet said: "(Then) stay with her, for Paradise is at her feet." (Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1275)

“While the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was sitting with some of his companions, a man insulted one of them. The person who was insulted remained silent. He was again insulted, but controlled himself. He was insulted a third time, and then he retaliated. At that point, the Prophet got up (to leave). The man who was insulted said: "Are you angry with me?" The Prophet replied: "(While you were not reacting to the insults) an angel came down from Heaven and was rejecting what had been said (against) you. (But) when you retaliated, a devil came down. I was not going to sit when the devil came down." (Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 2295)

“You (Prophet Muhammad) do not do evil to those who do evil to you, but you deal with them with forgiveness and kindness." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Hadith 335)

“The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was asked: "Which prayer is the best after the obligatory (five daily) prayers?" He said: "Prayer during the middle of the night." The Prophet was then asked: "Which fast is the best after the fast of Ramadan?" He replied: "The (voluntary fasts during the) month of God that you call Muharram." Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 3, Number 125

“The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "There are people from the servants of God who are neither prophets nor martyrs, (but) the prophets and martyrs will envy them on the Day of Resurrection. . .They are those who love one another for the spirit of God. . .I swear by God, their faces will glow and they will be (sitting) in (pulpits of) light. They will have no fear (on the day) when the people will have fear, and they will not grieve when the people will grieve." He then recited the verse: "Behold! Verily for the friends of God, there is no fear, nor shall they grieve." (Quran, 10:62)
(Sunan of Abu Dawood, Hadith 1563)

“The Prophet Muhammad also said: "A leader is a shield for (the people). . .If he enjoins God consciousness. . .and dispenses justice, there will be a (great) reward for him. And if he enjoins otherwise, it rebounds on him.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 851)

"Wealth and children are an adornment of this world's life, but good deeds, the fruit of which endures forever, are of far greater merit in thy Lord's sight, and a far better source of hope." (Quran, 18:46)

"Indeed, man has been created with a restless disposition. When misfortune touches him, he becomes despondent. But when blessed with good fortune, he becomes stingy; except those who are devoted to prayer, remain steadfast in their worship, set aside a share in their wealth for (the needy), accept the truth of the Day of Judgment, and who fear the displeasure of their Lord." (Quran, 70:19-27)

"If every person that has done injustice possessed all that the earth contains, he would be willing to offer it all in ransom to redeem himself (on Judgment Day) if he could." (Quran, 10:54)

"(Since) good and evil cannot be equal, repel (the evil deed) with one that is better. Then you will see that he with whom you had enmity, will become your close friend." (Quran, 41:34)

“O mankind! We created you from a male and female and made you into nation and tribes that you may know and honor each other (not that you should despise each other). Indeed the most honorable of you in the sight of God is the most righteous.” (Quran, 49: 13)

“The gates of Paradise will be opened...and every servant [of His] who does not associate anything with God will be forgiven, except for the man who has a grudge against his brother. [About them] it will be said: "Delay these two until they are reconciled. Delay these two until they are reconciled." (Hadith Qudsi, Number 20)

"Tell My servants that they should speak in the most kindly manner [to those who do not share their beliefs]: For Satan is always ready to stir up discord between men." (17:53, Quran)

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Indeed, an ignorant man who is generous is dearer to God than a worshipper who is miserly.” (Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 580)

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) told his companions: “If one of you had a stream running at his door and bathed in it five times every day, do you think any dirt would be left on him?” His companions answered: “No dirt at all would be left.” To which the Prophet replied: “That is what the five (daily) prayers are like, with which God washes away your sins. (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 1, Hadith 506)

The Prophet once went out when the leaves were falling from the trees. He took hold of a branch and said: "Verily, when a servant of God prays seeking only His pleasure, his sins fall away just as the leaves have fallen from this tree." (Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 199)

"(God) the Most Gracious will bestow (His love and the love of fellow-humans) on those who believe and work deeds of righteousness." (19:96, Quran)

"God says: 'O My servants who have transgressed against their souls, do not despair of God's mercy, for God forgives all sins. It is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.'" (39:52, Quran)

"God does not do injustice to mankind in any way: It is man that wrongs his own soul." (10:44, Quran)

A man once came to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) carrying a wrapped-up piece of cloth. He told the Prophet: "I saw a group of trees and heard the sound of young birds. I took them and put them in my garment. Their mother then came and began to hover around my head. I showed (the baby birds) to her, and she fell on them. I wrapped them (all) in my garment." The Prophet then said to his companions: "Are you surprised at the affection of the mother for her young?...God is more affectionate to His servants than a mother to her young." The Prophet told the man to put the baby birds back where he got them.

"Do not follow anyone blindly in those matters of which you have no knowledge, surely the use of your ears and eyes and heart - all of these, shall be questioned on the Day of Judgement." (17:36, Quran)

"Those who have faith and do righteous deeds, they are the best of creatures." (98:7, Quran)

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "God...will say on the Day of Resurrection: 'O son of Adam, I asked you for food but you did not feed Me.' (The person) will reply: 'My Lord, how could I feed Thee when Thou art the Lord of the worlds?' (God will then) say: 'Didn't you know that a servant of Mine (once) asked you for food, but you did not feed him. And were you not aware that if you had fed him, you would have found him by My side?'" (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1172)

"Do not forget to show kindness to each other. Surely God observes your actions." (2:237, Quran)

"Rest assured that God does not wrong anyone by even as much as an atom's weight. If someone does a good deed, He will multiply it and bestow out of His grace a mighty reward." (4:40, Quran)

A person once asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): "What is faith?" He replied: "When a good deed becomes a source of pleasure for you and an evil deed becomes a source of disgust for you, then you are a believer." The person then asked: "What is a sin?" The Prophet said: "When something pricks your conscience, give it up."

"(O Prophet Muhammad), We have revealed to you the Book, setting forth the truth for (the benefit of all) mankind. Whoever receives guidance benefits his own soul, but whoever goes astray injures his own soul. You are not set up as a guardian over them." (39:41, Quran)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GO3kfw8bHU&mode=related&search=

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Islam is not a religion of either peace or tolerance.
A quick review of any islamic state reveals their lack of tolerance and their "peaceful" attitude.

From
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NEWS/World/Rest_of_World/90_lashes_for_Saudi_rape_victim/articleshow/1726844.cms

RIYADH: A Saudi woman who was kidnapped at knifepoint, gangraped and then beaten by her brother has been sentenced to 90 lashes — for a meeting a man who was not a relative, a newspaper reported on Monday.

In an interview with the Saudi Gazette, the 19-year-old said she was blackmailed a year ago into meeting a man who threatened to tell her family they were having a relationship outside wedlock, which is illegal in the ultra-conservative desert kingdom.

After driving off together from a shopping mall near her home, the woman and the man were stopped and abducted by a gang of men wielding kitchen knives who took them to a farm where she was raped 14 times by her captors.

Five men were arrested for the rape and given jail terms ranging from 10 months to five years by a panel of judges in the eastern city of Qatif, near the woman's hometown.

But the judges also decided to sentence the woman, identified by the newspaper only as 'G', and the man to lashes for being alone together in the car.

------------------------------------------------------
Oh yeah, thats both peaceful and tolerant ;)

You mean this one for non Muslims:

1. Convert to Islam
2. Pay extortion money (the jizya)
3. Die

It adds an interesting spin when you hear this by a Muslim with religious convictions. Incidently, the jizya is only an option for Christians and Jews.

Muhammed took in a 9 year old little girl (notice I did not say woman) and butchered those that did not believe in converting. How about posting the parts of the Quran that addresses these topics? It's there but it requires not turning a blind eye. Hey, did you catch the article about Muslims bombing Muslims at a Mosque in Baghdad today? Yea, Islam has many sacred things. Scratch brotherhood with fellow Muslims and their places of worship off the list. Lust for blood is still number one.

Dear Muslims,

Please leave Islam now. Free yourself from hate, anger, prejudice and violence inside you.

Find yourself true love, peace and happiness, which is only possible outside Islam.

Remember, God loves you and He wants the best for you.

Please leave Islam now.

Thank you.

Love & Peace

Remember Salman Rusdie? He wrote "Satanic Verses". It spoke out against Islam. Reward - exile and hiding for the rest of his life because if his whereabouts are known he will be killed. Price for posting a cartoon or comic about Muhammed - Death threats and some people actually died because of that. Islam is as tolerant as an avalanche is diplomatic with everything in its path. Islam is not a religion. It is a twisted ideology. Anybody not afraid to see what is going on can clearly see that. Wake up America - don't give them an inch, or they will attempt to take it all.

Hi Chris,
When you take a sentence out of a paragraph the whole contest might change. The translation of the quran makes it loose a lot of its meanings. You are not the only nor the first one who biased the quran that way. There is a problem with muslims especially men, who would take one sentence out of the whole surat and interpret it to there interest.
The interpretation of the quran does not go word by word like you are reading a newspaper, it is the understanding of the whole book and connecting the ideas of the wole quarn. In fact many prominent Imams spent decades to interpret the quran and still working on it.
I am sure that in any holy book you can find offending sentences by doing what you did to the quran.
Just a reminder Islam comes from the word salam which means peace.
I suggest that you contact the islamic center and talk to knowlegeable people if you are serious about seaking the truth.
Lets make this world a better place for all of us.
God bless us all.

Nice Liberal Dribble.

Religion is the root of all evil. Look at the way people on this blog are talking to eachother! Muslims are insulting Christians, Christians are threatening Muslims- it's ridiculous. It's embarrassing that grown men and women are resorting to hurtful, playground taunts and name calling.

I'm not going as far as our former Governor- religion isn't necessarily a "crutch for the weak," but it's not something to use in a civil argument.

Your religion should be kept between you and God/Allah/Mickey Mouse- whomever you choose to believe in. Don't tell me who or what to believe in, and I won't force my beliefs on you. I doubt Jesus, Mohammad etc. would be pleased to see what is done in his name.

While all pre-posts have their own point(s) to prove... you're all missing the "main" point.

If said applicant can't perform said required duties and responsibilities, then why oh why is said applicant applying for said job and why are said employers/companies hiring un-qualified employees!

I know that Target has always sold some foodstuffs, and I know that some Targets now have full grocery stores within their walls; still, I do not associate Target with groceries. I especially do not associate it with meat products and would never think to go to Target if I needed bacon or sandwich meat. Therefore, if I were applying for a job at Target, it would never occur to me to think to ask about the meat products (or any food products) Target sold.

While a job applicant as some degree of responsibility to inquire of their prospective employer about potential social/moral/physical/religious/ethcial conflicts, I also believe that an employer has some degree of responsibility to make the prospective employee aware of potential social/moral/physical/religious/ethcial conflicts. Both sides need to ask questions.

I also don't see how failing to scan some bacon is a failure to perform duties and responsibilities. I also don't see how failing to scan bacon makes an employee unqualified.

Another point that seems to be overlooked is that few people seemed to have a problem with the system as it evolved within the Target stores that employed Somali clerks. The other employees weren't complaining. It seemed that few customers were complaining to Target management. It took a story in the Star Tribune to make this a controversial issue.

Amen Yowza. Amen.

Satanic Verses does not speak out against Islam. And it is interesting that you reference it, because:

The mixture of cultural influences, or what Rushdie calls the "chutneyfication" of culture, is one of the most enlivening aspects of his work. He throws off phrases in Hindi, Arabic, and Urdu which are bound to make the Western reader feel something of an outsider. He delights in playing with those aspects of Indian and Arabic culture which have been trivialized in the West in what Edward Said calls "orientalism," satirizing the failure of Europeans to grasp what they persistently exoticize. Indeed the work is largely a critique of Western racism, of anti-immigrant prejudice, and a defense of the richness and worth of South Asian and Middle Eastern culture.

From: Notes for Salman Rushdie: The Satanic Verses

While the novel does critique the Islamic faith, it was the tool used to critique Islam that caused so much controversy:

The title refers to the Satanic Verses, an attempted interpolation in the Qur'an described by Ibn Ishaq in his biography of Muhammad (the oldest surviving text). The authenticity of these Satanic verses has been disputed by the earliest Muslim historians.

From: The Satanic Verses

As far as the call for his assassination, it is true that the political and religious of Iran, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomein, called for the death of Rushdie. But is this really any different than Pat Robertson calling for the U.S. to assassinate Hugo Chavez? Is this really any difference than the minister who preaches to is congregation to go forth and kill those who work at abortion clinics?

Nope. No different.

Aisha, your quotations prove nothing. It took me five minutes on-line to find at least a dozen passages from the Old Testament that call for killing all kinds of people—homosexuals, prisoners of war, adulterers and even disobedient children. I posted some of those verses here.

By your logic and style of argument, Christianity is just as evil as Islam.

Look long enough into any religious text and you'll find evidence to support just about any argument.

To OsakaBill,

So all your understanding about Christianity came from a 5-minute search on the Internet???? Congratulations. Yau can call yourself an expert now.

Have you read my other long post about your inaccurate assumption that all religions are equally peaceful? The reason I wrote a long post for YOU was because I had the impression that you had very little understanding on Islam, Christianity and maybe other religions. All your arguments seem shallow, superficial and lack of depth and relevant analysis. That's why I jokingly asked you if you were a high school student. Because if you are, then we all can forgive you. LOL.

Now to respond to your comments. No doubt that there are a lot of violent teachings in the Bible's Old Testament including stoning to death of adulterers. But Christians are the followers of Christ (Jesus) of the New Testament. Jesus abolished the stoning of a woman prostitute. He also said to love your enemies. With your 5-minute Internet search, I'm sure you can find other peaceful things that Jesus taught.

Because Christians are supposed to follow Jesus Christ's teachings more than what's in the Old Testament, those violent verses in the Old Testement are not followed. That's why you don't hear any Christian trying to kill homosexuals, prisoners of war, adulterers and even disobedient children like you mentioned in the name of God. That's not what Jesus taught. Bombing an abortion clinic is also not what Jesus taught.

You see, this is what I meant by your lack of understanding on the subject. If you had digged deeper, you would've understood all of this without me telling you.

If you really want to compare Christianity to Islam, I would suggest you compare the life of Jesus to that of Muhammad. Again, with your 5-minute Internet search, try to find out how many people Muhammad beheaded, stoned to death and killed during his life. And how many girls he raped (do you know who Aisha was?). With Jesus, all the answers are zero.

I hope this will help you understand which religion is peaceful and which one is not. All religions are not equally peaceful.

Oh, if after learning about Muhammad and you still think he is a great man like all Muslims do, I'd suggest you get into this debate with a famous ex-Muslim guy and you may win $50,000!!!!

http://www.faithfreedom.org/challenge.htm

Good luck!!

"I also don't see how failing to scan some bacon is a failure to perform duties and responsibilities. I also don't see how failing to scan bacon makes an employee unqualified."

Well of course you don't. And that's what destroys your credibility, denying the obvious and being your disingenuous self. Good luck with that.

A job is a job. You either perform ALL of the functions of the job or you don't. If you aren't performing all the required job functions, you aren't doing your job and should be fired.

Society should not have to reorder itself to accomodate the minority. Freedom of religion is great. But when a business has to change the way it operates to accomodate a small few, that is just too much to ask.

What's next? Someone takes a job as cashier then refuses to do the job and the store has to find someplace to transfer the employee and shift another one into the position of cashier??? Absurd!

This subject was about the prohibition of pork in Islam, but it turned out to be about terrorism in Islam. It seems that whenever a Muslim does something wrong in society, that person will be thought of as a victim of Islamic belief and instead of the person taking the blame, it's usually Islam that takes the blame. When a non-Muslim does something wrong in society, it doesn't become breaking news, religion is not a factor in the incident, and the person is blamed instead of his beliefs. Osama bin Laden is not considered a high person in Islam such as a scholar so he can't represent or speak for Islam. Everyone is blaming Islam for terrorism but terrorism has existed in Judaism and Christianity. The fifth and last emperor of Rome, Nero, was known for his prosecution of Christians and the banning of the practice of Christianity. The Emperor Leo I and Constantine the Great of the Byzantine Empire made laws that were beneficial for Christianity but harmful to Jews. The Ottoman Empire, which is a Muslim empire, was arguably the strongest empire in the world. It defeated the Persians and the Byzantine Empire and took control of Constantinople. In today's world, the average American family faces more social problems than the average Muslim family. Muslims families don't face problems with parenting that the average American and non-Muslim faces. This shows that Islam is the most stable out of all the religions. Most non-Muslim says Muslims are terrorists but Muslims are the ones who are being abused with comments and hatred. What do you call the killings of many Palestinans by the Israelites? Is'nt that Terrorism? One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.

I lol'd

Less copy-paste, more reading of the previous verses.
Less copy-paste, more reading of the previous verses.

All these verses mentioned above are verses that were sent at a wartime. It is absolutely normal to kill a soldier if he is pointing a knife on your head. If not, then you'd die.

For example, one of the verse about jews and christians were sent a the conquest of Madina, when most of the christian and jewish tribes betrayed the prophet. So God sent a revelation saying that these jews or christians arent ur allies. Clear and simple.

Yet, you people do not talk about the christians that beleved that the kinds were God's representative, neither about the crusades, when the christians cutted a muslim civil to know if they were gold in his stomache.

Less copy-paste, more reading of the previous verses.
Less copy-paste, more reading of the previous verses.

Same thing for the bible (directing to muslim ppl).

You cannot say something unless know the full chapter's subject + have read all the chapter + knows in which social/historical/political content.