Strange Female in a Strange World

Islam is not tolerant

2006-03-27T11:15:00.000-05:00

Here is a modern day marter for Christ. Normally I'm not all wishy washy about this kind of stuff but I can think of nothing else you could call this man. He hasn't done anything to anyone, he converted while helping others and they want to punish him for that. This truly shows how islam is not a religion of peace and tolerance.

Afghans Protest Decision on Christian

By DANIEL COONEY, Associated Press Writer 40 minutes ago

AfghanistanKABUL, Afghanistan - Hundreds of people protested in afghanistan on Monday against a court's decision to drop a case against a man who converted from Islam to Christianity, while an official said discussions were underway to determine when he would be released.

Officials said the case was dropped Sunday partially because of concerns that Abdul Rahman is mentally unfit to face trial. The move also followed strong pressure from Western governments.

Prosecutors have said they want doctors to examine Rahman, but they have not confirmed that he would be released. Prosecutor Sarinwal Zamari said state attorneys were working on the case Monday and an announcement would be made later in the day. He declined to elaborate.

An Afghan official closely involved with the case told The Associated Press that the 41-year-old man would be released, but authorities were debating how and when it would be done.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case, had earlier said that a decision may be made by Monday and that Rahman would not have to remain in jail while prosecutors investigate whether to bring another case against him to the courts.

Rahman is being held at Kabul's high-security Policharki prison. He was moved there Friday after inmates at a police detention facility reportedly threatened him.

A warden at Policharki said Rahman was still at the jail Monday, detained in a concrete cell by himself.

Muslim clerics have threatened to incite Afghans to kill Rahman if he is freed, saying that he is clearly guilty of apostasy and deserves to die.

Monday's protest ended peacefully about two hours after it started in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, said police commander Nasruddin Hamdrad. The protesters chanted "Death to Bush!" and other anti-Western slogans, while the police stood guard.

Authorities have barred journalists from seeing Rahman. But on Sunday, officials gave an AP reporter an exclusive tour of Policharki, which houses some 2,000 inmates, including about 350 Taliban and al-Qaida militants.

Prison warden Gen. Shahmir Amirpur said Rahman had been asking guards for a Bible but they had none to give him. "He looks very calm. But he keeps saying he is hearing voices," Amirpur said.

A senior guard said inmates and many guards had not been told of Rahman's identity because of fears they might attack him.

But Amirpur vouched for the prisoner's safety. "We are watching him constantly. This is a very sensitive case so he needs high security."

Rahman's case set off an outcry in the United States and other nations that helped oust the hard-line Taliban regime in late 2001 and provide aid and military support for Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

President Bush and others have insisted that Afghanistan protect personal beliefs.

A Supreme Court spokesman, Abdul Wakil Omeri, said the case had been dismissed because of "problems with the prosecutors' evidence." He said several of Rahman's relatives testified he is mentally unstable and prosecutors have to "decide if he is mentally fit to stand trial."

Rahman was being prosecuted for converting to Christianity 16 years ago while working as a medical aid worker for an international Christian group helping Afghan refugees in Pakistan. He was arrested last month after police discovered him with a Bible.

Death to Evil Hair Stylist

2006-02-21T08:02:00.000-05:00

They are evil, evil I say. You'd know it to be true if you saw my last hair cut. Death to all hair stylists.........NOT.

You know if I where going to blow people and things up I'd at least pick something more threatening then Hair Stylist and barbers. But my guess is Hair Stylist encourage women to be groomed and look nice. And good lord if they are groomed and look nice they might feel good about themselves. With that they may even want to let the world see there face, oh shock and horror.

They riot over cartoons, and even the moderates think it reasonable to go out in the thousands and at least quietly protest 1 news paper's printing of one set of cartoons (Even though far more insulting cartoons have now been posted across the internet.) I hear women in Saudi Arabia Attack stores that carry Valentines. And now bombest blow up Salons. And the Muslim world wonders why the West doesn't take them seriously, why with every day that passes many in the west look at the Muslim world as Loony bin set free on the world.

There are day's it's very, very hard to be a Christian.

New story quote (I have to admit this story was poorly written, even though it was released by the AP. It's not truly clear if the people where blown up or the buildings. But since no deaths or injuries where mentioned I'm assuming they meant buildings. Also who am I to be critical, I can't write worth beans):

"Shortly after midnight, eight hair dressers were blown up in one street by extremists who have broadened their targets beyond Americans, Iraqi security forces and government officials. The blasts caused huge damage but no casualties, according to the Diyala police."

Quick recap of Muhhammad Cartoon row

2006-02-20T21:17:00.000-05:00

A short amusing video recaping what started the Muhhammad Cartoon riots.

http://www.faithfreedom.org/audio/taqiyya.htm

Islam and Women

2006-02-20T20:21:00.000-05:00

I found the following on another web site and wanted to know if they where true. Can anyone confirm or denie them? If they are true, can someone explain to me how these are good for women and reflex that islam is a peaceful religion?

Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has given the one more (strength) than the other, and because they support them from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard in (the husband's) absence what Allah would have them guard. As to those women on whose part ye fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (Next), refuse to share their beds, (And last) beat them (lightly); but if they return to obedience, seek not against them Means (of annoyance): For Allah is Most High, great (above you all). Quran 4:34

Allah (thus) directs you as regards your Children's (Inheritance): to the male, a portion equal to that of two females: if only daughters, two or more, their share is two-thirds of the inheritance; if only one, her share is a half. For parents, a sixth share of the inheritance to each, if the deceased left children; if no children, and the parents are the (only) heirs, the mother has a third; if the deceased Left brothers (or sisters) the mother has a sixth. (The distribution in all cases ('s) after the payment of legacies and debts. Ye know not whether your parents or your children are nearest to you in benefit. These are settled portions ordained by Allah; and Allah is All-knowing, Al-wise. Qur'an 4:11

Call in two male witnesses from among you, but if two men cannot be found, then one man and two women whom you judge fit to act as witnesses. Qur'an 2:282

The Hadith show that Muhammad and his companions had no respect for women.

Sahih al-Bukhari, volume 3, hadith 826: Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri: The Prophet said, "Isn't the witness of a women equal to half that of a man?" The women said "yes". He said "This is because of the deficiency of the women's mind."

Sahih Muslim, vol. 4, hadith 6597: Ibn Abbas reported that Allah's Messenger said: I had a chance to look into paradise and I found that majority of the people was poor and I looked into the Fire and there I found the majority constituted by women.

Sahih Muslim, volume 4, hadith 6600 Imran b. Husain reported that Allah's Messenger said: Amongst the inmates of Paradise the women would form a minority.

Sahih al-Bukhari, volume 1, book 6, 301: Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri: Once Allah's Apostle went out to the Musalla (to offer the prayer) o 'Id-al-Adha or Al-Fitr prayer. Then he passed by the women and said, "O women! Give alms, as I have seen that the majority of the dwellers of Hell-fire were you (women)." They asked, "Why is it so, O Allah's Apostle ?" He replied, "You curse frequently and are ungrateful to your husbands. I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religion than you. A cautious sensible man could be led astray by some of you." The women asked, "O Allah's Apostle! What is deficient in our intelligence and religion?" He said, "Is not the evidence of two women equal to the witness of one man?" They replied in the affirmative. He said, "This is the deficiency in her intelligence. Isn't it true that a woman can neither pray nor fast during her menses?" The women replied in the affirmative. He said, "This is the deficiency in her religion.

" Sahih al-Bukhari, vol. 7, hadith 121: Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "if a man invites his wive to sleep with him an she refuses to come to him, then angels send their curses on her till morning." He (Muhammad b. Qais) then reported that it was 'A'isha who had narrated this: Should I not narrate to you about myself and about the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)? We said: Yes. She said: When it was my turn for Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) to spend the night with me, he turned his side, put on his mantle and took off his shoes and placed them near his feet, and spread the corner of his shawl on his bed and then lay down till he thought that I had gone to sleep. He took hold of his mantle slowly and put on the shoes slowly, and opened the door and went out and then closed it lightly. I covered my head, put on my veil and tightened my waist wrapper, and then went out following his steps till he reached Baqi'. He stood there and he stood for a long time. He then lifted his hands three times, and then returned and I also returned. He hastened his steps and I also hastened my steps. He ran and I too ran. He came (to the house) and I also came (to the house). I, however, preceded him and I entered (the house), and as I lay down in the bed, he (the Holy Prophet) entered the (house), and said: Why is it, O 'A'isha, that you are out of breath? I said: There is nothing. He said: Tell me or the Subtle and the Aware would inform me. I said: Messenger of Allah, may my father and mother be ransom for you, and then I told him (the whole story). He said: Was it the darkness (of your shadow) that I saw in front of me? I said: Yes. He struck me on the chest which caused me pain, and then said: Did you think that Allah and His Apostle would deal unjustly? ... (Sahih Muslim, book 4, hadith 2127)

Umar then came forward, and when he had asked and had been granted permission he found the Prophet sitting sad and silent with his wives around him. He told that he decided to say something which would make the Prophet laugh, so he said, "Messenger of God, I wish you had seen the daughter of Kharija when she asked me for extra money and I got up and slapped her on the neck." God's messenger laughed and said, "They are around me as you see asking for extra money." Abu Bakr then got up, went to A'isha and slapped her on the neck, and Umar did the same to Hafsa ... (Mishkat Al-Masabih, p. 690: Muslim)

Shahih Bukhari Volume 1, Book 9, Number 490: Narrated 'Aisha: The things which annul the prayers were mentioned before me. They said, "Prayer is annulled by a dog, a donkey and a woman (if they pass in front of the praying people)." I said, "You have made us (i.e. women) dogs. I saw the Prophet praying while I used to lie in my bed between him and the Qibla. Whenever I was in need of something, I would slip away. for I disliked to face him."

Abu Dawud, Volume 2, 2150: Abu Said al-Khudri said: "The apostle of Allah sent a military expedition to Awtas on the occasion of the battle of Hunain. They met their enemy and fought with them. They defeated them and took them captives. Some of the Companions of the apostle of Allah were reluctant to have intercourse with the female captives in the presence of their husbands who were unbelievers. So Allah, the Exalted, sent down the Quranic verse, "And all married women (are forbidden) unto your save those (captives) whom your right hand possesses". That is to say, they are lawful for them when they complete their waiting period."" [The Quran verse is 4:24].

Sahih Muslim, Volume 2, 3371 Abu Sirma said to Abu Said al Khudri: "O Abu Said, did you hear Allah's messenger mentioning about al-azl (coitus interruptus)?" He said, "Yes", and added: "We went out with Allah's messenger on the expedition to the Mustaliq and took captive some excellent Arab women; and we desired them for we were suffering from the absence of our wives, (but at the same time) we also desired ransom for them. So we decided to have sexual intercourse with them but by observing azl" (withdrawing the male sexual organ before emission of semen to avoid conception). But we said: "We are doing an act whereas Allah's messenger is amongst us; why not ask him?" So we asked Allah's messenger and he said: "It does not matter if you do not do it, for every soul that is to be born up to the Day of Resurrection will be born".

How long can they Hate?

2006-02-18T12:49:00.000-05:00

I just want to know how long can the middle east run on hate? Doesn't the Muslim world ever get tired of calling for people to be hung? or putting up rewards to assininate people? killing their own own son's and daughter? or burning down their own econimy?

100's of thousands are involved in these acts everyday now, contrary to what others want to believe it's not just a few extremist. It's not just a small precent of muslim gone mad (in both sense of the word). I just can't understand why they act this way and think its reasonable.

All I see coming from the Muslim world is hate, rage and fear. It would be so nice to wake up one morning and see an article where the Muslim world goes "Hey were sorry for being such brutal madmen and we're going to stop now. We're going to stop kill, burning, and generally acting out in violent ways. And we're going to stop going nuts over what shouldn't really matter and focus on what does, feeding our children, improving educations, establishing a fair justice system, and in general make the world a better place to live.

Anti-Islamic Images

2006-02-15T13:31:00.000-05:00

I just love this cartoon, though not quite a cartoon, and had to post it. You can find great cartoon on this and other topic at:

http://www.cagle.com/news/Muhammad/main.asp

And the insanity continues...

Protesters Rampage in 2 Pakistani Cities

2006-02-14T10:53:00.000-05:00

So much for International Aid generating Good well. In fact is seems they don't want good well they just want hate and anger.

It kinda erks me that after all the International aid sent to this country what they react to is a bunch of cartoons. And to make things even more ironic, they still need more aid because of possible flash floods and land slides threatening thousands. It's not that I want these people to bow down and worship the west to the aid that they recieve. But it would be nice if they could remember the good that is done and balance that with what is seen as an insult.

And if they are a people of passion why didn't we see them dancing in the streets and sing the west praises when we came to their aid. If we could see the high maybe the low would make more sense but all we see is the low and it gets to be trying to understand them.

Protesters Rampage in 2 Pakistani Cities

By ASIF SHAHZAD, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 4 minutes ago

LAHORE, Pakistan - Thousands of protesters rampaged through two cities Tuesday, storming into a diplomatic district and torching Western businesses and a provincial assembly in Pakistan's worst violence against the Prophet Muhammad drawings, officials said. At least two people were killed and 11 injured.

Security forces fired into the air as they struggled to contain the unrest in the eastern city of Lahore, where protesters burned down four buildings housing a hotel, two banks, a KFC restaurant and the office of a Norwegian cell phone company, Telenor.

U.S. and British embassy staffers were confined to their compounds until police dispersed the protesters, some of whom chanted, "Death to America!"

Witnesses said rioters also damaged more than 200 cars, dozens of shops and a large portrait of President Gen. Pervez Musharraf. Vandals broke the windows of a Holiday Inn, Pizza Hut and McDonald's.

Two movie theaters were torched, and clouds of tear gas and black smoke from burning vehicles drifted through streets in the city center.

A security guard shot and killed two protesters trying to force their way into a bank, Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao said, adding that paramilitary forces were deployed to restore order.

Mohammed Tariq, a doctor at the state-run Mayo Hospital, said three people were being treated for serious bullet wounds, and eight more suffered injuries during clashes with police.

The protest was organized by a little-known religious group supported by local trade associations and one of the main Islamic schools in the city. Intelligence officials, however, suspected that members of outlawed Islamic radical groups may have incited the violence.

Raja Mohammed Basharat, law minister for Punjab province, of which Lahore is the capital, said the organizers promised Monday that the demonstration would be peaceful. No one has been arrested for the violence, but those responsible would be punished, he said.

The unrest began Tuesday in the nation's capital, Islamabad, about 180 miles northwest of Lahore, when between 1,000 and 1,500 people, mostly students, marched into a fenced-off diplomatic enclave through the main gate, as about a dozen police looked on.

The stick-wielding crowd charged about a half-mile down the road to the British High Commission, or embassy, where the students rallied briefly until police fired tear gas.

Outside the enclave, protesters smashed street lights and burned tires while chanting "Death to America!" and other slogans. Police rounded up about 50 protesters and put them in pickup trucks.

Another protest in Islamabad drew about 4,000 people. Separately, about 50 lawmakers from religious and moderate parties marched from Parliament to the diplomatic enclave, where they stood silently for five minutes before dispersing.

Hard-line cleric Hafiz Hussain Ahmad, senior leader of an opposition coalition of six religious parties, said, "We have come to the doors of the embassies to take our voice to the ambassadors. There is anger in the Islamic world. If they do not listen, their problems will increase."

People in this conservative Muslim nation have been enraged by the publications of the drawings, which first appeared in a Danish newspaper in September. Papers in other countries, mostly Europe but including some in the United States, reprinted them.

One of the caricatures depicts Muhammad wearing a turban shaped as a bomb with an ignited detonator string.

Islam widely holds that representations of Muhammad are banned for fear they could lead to idolatry.

There have been a series of mostly peaceful protests across Pakistan against the cartoons, and last week Parliament adopted resolutions condemning the drawing. Lawmakers also called for a nationwide strike on March 3.

But Aitzaz Ahsan, a lawmaker with the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party, said he will propose that the government call off the March 3 protest strike because of the prospect of further violence.

"It's really gotten out of hand," Ahsan said. "The violence is spiraling out of control."

Islamic Youths Post a "We're Sorry" website

2006-02-10T19:53:00.000-05:00

Here is another web site to read to show there are reasonable Muslim's in the world. Now if we could just get the reasonable Muslim's out in mass. Maybe they could actually calm things down.

http://www.sorrynorwaydenmark.com/

Another Moderate Muslim is heard from - Yeah there is hope

2006-02-09T13:05:00.001-05:00

Yet another Moderate Muslim has spoken out in a reasonable fashion. It really does gives me hope, because this writer doesn't try to justify way the violence. In fact they are just as mystified by it was the rest of the west and just as sick of it. He also doesn't proclaim the tired and over used argument - the riots are by the extremist and don't reflex the majority.

Instead he points out that weather it is or isn't the majority of believers the Western world is still going to see it at the majority. And explains the West can't be blamed for seeing thing that way either since it's the only picture the Muslim world is showing them.

Article is so good, here it is....

What would Muhammad do?

History suggests the prophet was more pragmatic than followers rioting in his name.

By Jamil Momand, JAMIL MOMAND is a professor of biochemistry at Cal State Los Angeles.

ON FRIDAY, I sat on the carpet listening to the sermon at an L.A. mosque. The topic was expected and familiar: a denunciation of the publication of the offensive cartoons that have had the Muslim world up in arms. I directed my eyes to the carpet so no one could see the disgusted look on my face. "Not again," I thought. "Don't we Muslims ever get tired of complaining?"

The khateeb (the person delivering the sermon) stated that it was not right that Islam was the target of abuse. He said some will go out of their way to disrespect Islam. He said the Muslim community demands an apology, and (thankfully) he called on Muslims to be peaceful and forgiving.

I left the mosque thinking about how non-Muslims must be viewing the situation. Based on the pictures and stories in the media, on escalating demands and violence around the world, they are getting a false picture of Islam.

Can they help but think that Muslims are violent? Several newspapers have reported that some Muslim leaders have called for the deaths of those who published the cartoons. Muslims have burned Danish flags and destroyed Danish embassies in Muslim countries; people have died in the protests.

The violent response also makes it seem that the cartoons are worth viewing, that they are important. If the intent is to prevent people from seeing offensive images about Islam, the tactic has backfired. Everyone (including me) now wants to view the cartoons.

And Muslims appear to have a double standard. We cry out that Islam should not be desecrated, but in several countries where the majority is Muslim, it is illegal or incredibly difficult for minority religions to build churches, synagogues or temples. Moreover, in some parts of the Muslim world, cartoons that could be considered anti-Christian or anti-Jewish are common.

Finally, it seems as if Muslims do not believe in freedom. Those of us living in the West say that we cherish the liberty to practice our religion and express our views, even if our actions may offend the sensitivities of our non-Muslim neighbors. Yet when others express views that are offensive to Muslims, there is no tolerance.

Do Muslims hold a defensible position in this affair? I know the intellectual, religious and legal arguments used to defend the position that such cartoons should never be published: Muslims respect the figures from the Abrahamic faiths, including Moses, Jesus and Mary. Why can't others reciprocate?

Yet to ask 5 billion non-Muslims to respect a particular code of ethics is unrealistic. And even if most non-Muslims exercise restraint, there are always individuals willing to exceed the boundaries.

Another complaint made by my fellow Muslims is that we alone are the victims. This argument is flatly false. Christians have felt victimized by the movie "The Last Temptation of Christ," and there are many who object to the soon-to-be-made film based on the bestseller, "The Da Vinci Code." Judaism is the basis of jokes, cartoons and films considered to be anti-Jewish — the most recent film being "The Passion of the Christ."

Muslims only enlarge the supposed bull's-eye on Islam when we go overboard in our reactions to anti-Muslim actions. The honor of Islam will survive petty mudslinging without rioting.

Where do we go from here? Unfortunately, the damage on all sides has been done. If the Danish government offers an apology, Muslims will be viewed as bullies capable, through their use of violence, of squashing free speech. If the Danes refuse to apologize, the West will be viewed as the victor over a fanatic religion that must be put in its place. Either outcome spells disaster for Muslims in non-Muslim public opinion.

Some Muslims may say that public opinion does not matter when it comes to Islam. Yet if one examines the life of the prophet Muhammad, one would conclude that he carefully considered public opinion. When he negotiated a treaty with Arabs who were at war with him, he did not insist that his title as "prophet" be placed in the document (this act horrified his companions, to the point where they thought it was sacrilege). Instead, he had his name written as simply Muhammad, the son of Abdulla. This placated his enemy and was essential to successfully concluding the treaty, which gave the Muslims an extended period of peace that allowed them to publicize Islam. In fact, the opportunity the treaty created may be responsible for Islam's existence.

Yes, the prophet cared deeply about public opinion. Now if only Muslims would follow his lead. We need to learn to ignore these insignificant attacks and focus Muslims' attention on immensely more important issues: homelessness, world hunger, the widening gulf that separates rich and poor, and freedom

Free Speech & Ben Franklin

2006-02-09T10:45:00.000-05:00

Ben Franklin qoutes on Free Speech

-They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty or safety...

-Without freedom of thought there can be no such thing as wisdom; and no such thing as public liberty, without freedom of speech.

-Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.

I hold each one of these close to my heart and mind.

Great Muhammad and other Political Cartoons

2006-02-09T10:18:00.000-05:00

Again if you have not been to this site it's a must visit. It actually help relieve some of the tension I've been feeling about the whole issue. (There have been moments I just want to wall off the whole Middle East and let them Kill each other) To bad the protesting Muslim's can't use the same theopy.

http://www.cagle.com/news/Muhammad/

American Press and Muhammad Catroons

2006-02-09T10:00:00.000-05:00

Editors of the New York Press resigned when management ordered them not to reprint the Muhammad cartoons. In a statement explaining the resignations, Editor-in-Chief Harry Siegels explains:

New York Press, like so many other publications, has suborned its own professed principles. For all the talk of freedom of speech, only the New York Sun locally and two other papers nationally have mustered the minimal courage needed to print simple and not especially offensive editorial cartoons that have been used as a pretext for great and greatly menacing violence directed against journalists, cartoonists, humanitarian aid workers, diplomats and others who represent the basic values and obligations of Western civilization.

Having been ordered at the 11th hour to pull the now-infamous Danish cartoons from an issue dedicated to them, the editorial group-consisting of myself, managing editor Tim Marchman, arts editor Jonathan Leaf and one-man city hall bureau Azi Paybarah, chose instead to resign our positions.

We have no desire to be free speech martyrs, but it would have been nakedly hypocritical to avoid the same cartoons we'd criticized others for not running, cartoons that however absurdly have inspired arson, kidnapping and murder and forced cartoonists in at least two continents to go into hiding. Editors have already been forced to leave papers in Jordan and France for having run these cartoons. We have no illusions about the power of the press (NY Press, we mean), but even on the far margins of the world-historical stage, we are not willing to side with the enemies of the values we hold dear, a free press not least among them.

One of the issues that has caused me a great amount of concern is the lack of America standing up for Free Press, Free Speech and Free Expression. I can understand not publishing something when it's only intent is to hurt people. But I don't believe that just because something might offend or hurt a few that is reason enough not to publish something that truly gives the readers need information. How can American's discussed the issue of the cartoons and understand what's going on if they never see them? I hate to say it but just describing a cartoon is not the same as seeing it for yourself. Maybe the cartoons really are bad, maybe they really where over the top it's possible. In this case I don't believe they where. But just because I think that doesn't mean the rest of American will. The only way they can real judge is by seeing for themselves.

Yet I couldn't help but feel out press is afraid to publish. They really aren't worried about offending a few people. They are worried they will have to deal with Death threats, government pressure and maybe even be blamed for increase deaths in the Middle East. But you know what....I don't want my press to be afraid of all that. I want my press to be courageous; I want my press to get me the truth no matter what. I want my press to go in every dark room, every secret closest and weed out the truth. They may then have to judge if the issue is important enough to publish. Good sense not fear is what should control our press. And in the end I'd rather the error was in to much information and not enough.

In saying that I totally support and Applaud Editor-in Chief Harry Siegels and hope other American's will as well.

Freedom for Egyptians: Egyptian Newspaper Pictures that Published Cartoons 5 months ago

2006-02-08T21:15:00.000-05:00

People read, read, read this is important new and our press has thus far ignored it.

Freedom for Egyptians: Egyptian Newspaper Pictures that Published Cartoons 5 months ago

Rantings of a Sandmonkey: Boycott Egypt

2006-02-08T21:00:00.000-05:00

Finally something that puts a little light on the Muslim world and actually make sense and doesn't just add to the insanity. It's still stupid and speaks of political corruptions but as an american I can understand political corruption.

Rantings of a Sandmonkey: Boycott Egypt

2006-02-08T20:36:00.000-05:00

This article is a must read.

http://alphabetcity.blogspot.com/2006/02/mohammed-cartoons-in-egyptian.html

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Mohammed Cartoons In Egyptian Newspaper

The Arab Street is rioting, burning embassies and calling for beheadings and assasinations because it is outraged that Western secular liberalism is insensitive to an Islamic religious tradition: The sacrilege of depicting the Prophet Muhammed in an image.

Damn you and your valued press freedoms, they say, your free speech rights. You have doubly blasphemed our beloved Prophet (PBUH) by physically representing him in a cartoon and by characterizing him as a terrorist when you placed a bomb where his blessed turban should be.

Well, where was the Muslim outrage, the mass fury, when Adel Hamouda's independent Egyptian newspaper, Al Fagr, published the cartoons four months ago? Why was Jyllands Posten's Fleming Rose and not Al-Fagr's Hamouda condemned by a President in Tehran, a cleric in a mosque or a Muslim in the street?

Because of the jihadist "revenge fantasy."

Nibras Kazimi explains:

"There is a dark spiritual effervescence that sputters out periodically from the Middle East in fits of mayhem stemming from a revenge fantasy that has been festering for 300 years. It gets couched in convenient "us" versus "them" diatribes to explain away failure, whereby the eternal enemy is the Christian West - besting the Muslim East for several centuries on the battlefield and in all walks of life, and actively subjugating it.

"But is it logical that a cartoonist would be able to shake Islam to its foundations? Why would a great faith be so quick to anger when provoked by so insignificant a stimulus? There is no logic to it. If Arabs were thinking logically, then they would have deduced that their boycott of Danish goods is ridiculous given that Denmark probably exports more stuff that the whole club of Arab countries combined, if one discounts fossil fuels. But Denmark is part of the West, and its flag a representation of the crucifix. Torching its embassies and canceling trade contracts provide an opportunity to show some flex yet in the Muslim spiritual muscle.

"Furthermore, radicalism is being actively bankrolled, and its message disseminated, by advancing technology. Today, with chat rooms and text messaging, mobs can be coordinated and incited to riot after watching inflammatory images on Saudi-owned satellite channels. Hamas and Hezbollah, flush with Iranian petrodollars, can build clinics and schools, while American and European taxpayer money arriving as aid disappears into corrupt pockets. Secular democrats counseling moderation and taking a hard look at the wretched state of affairs - the potholes in the streets and potbellies behind idle desks - are drowned out by cries of jihad propagated in part by autocratic regimes that put this battlecry to use in distracting the masses from their real problems."

The two Egyptian bloggers at Egyptian Sandmonkey and Freedom for Egyptians cannot be credited enough for introducing the Al Fagr factor into the cartoon war.

More here on Al Fagr's Adel Hamouda and Egypt's "new, emerging political climate that is the direct result of increasing domestic calls for democracy, change and reform." Blame it on Bush.
Posted 5:49 PM by Robert

Reasonable Muslim that has a sense of humour

2006-02-08T15:46:00.000-05:00

A good article that give earns back some of my respect for Muslims.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/680091.html

Iran to host Holocaust Cartoon Contest

2006-02-07T10:56:00.001-05:00

Below is a copy of a new store about Iran paper hosting a Holocaust cartoon contest. A couple of points they don't seem to get about the west.

1st Yes, most of use will be offended by the cartoons

2nd I certainly will not being calling death threats to the paper or organizing terrorist to go in and behead anyone

3rd I doubt you'll see people in the west throwing knifes, fire bombs and rocks at our own police and Asians because we're angry at an Iranian news paper. (The Asians is a counter part example to parallel news stories of other foreigners being attacked even though their countries new agencies hadn't run the cartoons)

4th Our Government will not be mandating that Iran arrest the cartoonist and editor of the news paper.

5th There may be protest but I'm fairly confident you won't see the west burning Mosques and embassies over the cartoons.

6th You will not see the US government arresting a US editor if they decide there is a need to republish the cartoons. (I will agree if a US editor does publish the cartoons there will be some kind of protest. But like the Muslim protests that have thus far occurred in US over a few US papers that did publish the cartoons, it will be relatively peaceful. And I'd like to point out it's those peaceful Muslims, who expressed there anger in a respectful way that makes me believe that not all Muslims are insane.)

I'd also like to point out that in the West we keep hearing :

"Bild writer Rafael Seligmann said Islam was a tolerant religion and the crisis was being exploited by extremists in the Middle East."

What I would truly like to see and know is if it's only extremists why are thousands and thousand involved in the rioting?

Why did Jordan Arrest an editor because they publish the cartoons to make the pointing that these are nothing when compared to beheading and bombing. (Personally I applaud the editor and again this gives me hope that there are Muslims that believe in truth and goodness vs. dogma and hate.)

Why don't thousands of Muslims buy Denmark goods to counter protest those that commit such violence and hatred? Especially since it was 1 paper and not the whole country that published the original cartoons. (Even if the Government wanted to arrest the editor they couldn't, it is an illegal act and Europe for the most part is ruled by Law not men.)

Why does Saudi Arabia confiscate and destroy symbols of other religions when people go to visit? (Muslims would pitch a fit it other countries did that to Muslim, heck they did when it was thought to be happening to tourture terrorist in prison.)

Why are females in most Muslim countries forced (they don't choose) to veiled and separated from male society?

Why where Muslim happy! Glad! and joyous! to tour an art exhibit that featured mocked up dead and mutilated bodies of Israelis and American's? including children and a baby? (As angry as I get over the bombing and beheadings I'm never Happy or joyous to see a dead Muslim and I've been know to cry over some of the news story footage of hurt and dead Muslim children. And this is even after I was the new footage of Muslims lined up to tour this exhibit and there comments upon existing (None express sadness or shame at the exhibit and they where even pointedly asked about the baby.)

So if it's just extremist where are the Moderate Muslims? The good ones that believe in kindness, peace and tolerance? Believe it or not I'd be very happy to know and see them. But they have to come out from hiding and loudly nay say the extremist for use to every meet them.

By NASSER KARIMI, Associated Press Writer 2/7/2006

TEHRAN, Iran - A prominent Iranian newspaper said Tuesday it would hold a competition for cartoons on the Holocaust to test whether the West extends the principle of freedom of expression to the Nazi genocide as it did to the caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.

Hamshahri, one of Iran's largest papers, made clear the contest is a reaction to European newspapers' publication of Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, which have led to demonstrations, boycotts and attacks on European embassies across the Islamic world. Several people have been killed.

Hundreds of Iranians hurled stones, and sometimes gasoline bombs, at the Danish and Austrian embassies in Tehran in protest against the cartoons Monday. Austria currently holds the E uropean Union

The newspaper said the contest would be launched Monday and co-sponsored by the House of Caricatures, a Tehran exhibition center for cartoons. The paper and the cartoon center are owned by the Tehran Municipality, which is dominated by allies of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, well-known for his opposition to

Ahmadinejad, who was Tehran's mayor until being elected president in June, provoked outcries last year when he said on separate occasions that Israel should be "wiped off the map" and the Holocaust was a "myth."

Iran said last month it would sponsor a conference to examine the scientific evidence supporting the Holocaust, an apparent attempt to give voice to Holocaust deniers.

Hamshahri invited foreign cartoonists to enter the competition.

"Does the West extend freedom of expression to the crimes committed by the United States and Israel, or an event such as the Holocaust? Or is its freedom only for insulting religious sanctities?" Hamshahri wrote, referring to the Prophet Muhammad cartoons.

The cartoons were first published by a Danish newspaper in September. As Muslim protests mounted, numerous European newspapers have reprinted them in recent days in the name of free expression, provoking wider and angrier protests.

The drawings — including one depicting the prophet wearing a turban shaped as a bomb — have touched a raw nerve in part because Islam is interpreted to forbid any illustrations of the Prophet Muhammad for fear they could lead to idolatry.

Muhammed Cartoon II

2006-01-31T19:21:00.000-05:00

I couldn't post all the picture in 1 blog so the rest are in this bog and my reason for posting are found in the post below.

Muhammed Cartoons

2006-01-31T18:53:00.000-05:00

I'm not posting these pictures just to insult Muslims, I'm posting them for quite a few reasons. The first is because I believe in free speech. There are hundreds of sites and publications that I find insulting but I don't send them hate mail, I don't tell them I'm going to hunt them down and kill them for their insults. Why partly because I don't believe in committing murder and partly because I believe in their right for free speech. I ust don't go to their hate mongering sites.
to judge for themselves. Something most of our so called free press haven't seen fit to do.

The second reason I'm posting
the pictures is because they have been a topic of several news stories. People have threaten to kill people over them and mass riots have occured. Because us this I believe people have a right to see what all the fuse if about
I should point out that the word is any picture of Muhammad is band in the Islamic religion (I don't know this for a fact, thats just what I've read in a couple of new articles.) But considering the pictures weren't created by to actually picture Muhammad but to point out political problems with Islamic world and using Muhammad as a symbol of it. I don't see idolity going on here. anyhow here are the cartoons, some I think are pretty funny and make a good point.

What Next in Blogging

2005-02-25T14:53:00.000-05:00

Well it seems the next step is two fold.

1st I should decide what I want to do with this blog and what it's purpose should be. Once I decide that I'll know if I want to encourage stangers to come here or if I really just want it to be something more personal, though if I wanted it to be private why not just do it on my own machine and not on the internet..hummmm

2nd part is once I decide on what the site it to be then figure out what I can do to it to achieve those goals. For example if I want to masses to read the site how do I get them here?

Either way I already know I want people to read Sal's Life. So if anyone is interested in SciFi they should go to that blog and start reading the estory there.

http://fadingsuns-sal.blogspot.com/

So far in the world of blogging

2005-02-17T21:02:00.000-05:00

Well I can see this is going to be my new hobby for awhile at least. I have already spent more Time on the blog then any of my other projects. Part of it is just learning the ropes, what tech trick to embrace and what is already pass-a. Plus it's been years and years since I've have to do html or any kind of web creation, so my blog will be dull for awhile. Eventually I hope to jazz it up.

I spent this evening reading other blogs. I have found some interesting once, a couple mildly amusing and of course the endless teenage anguished ones. It does remind me how much it can hurt to live in this world. What also saddened me was the number that we're still teens. People my age still going through the same old same as high school but the risk seem even higher.

It made me feel old, and I wanted to be wise and caring reaching out to all these people. But I also read the comments and was I noted was how the comments always said the same things as well. About one third where shocked that there could be such sad people in the world. The next third joined in the gothic drama of it all, and the final third reacted the way I wanted, trying to give comfort with wisdom.

So now I wonder can we ever reach out to another human? Do we ever reach them when they need us? Or does it just seem like we do?

On a larger note, I am curious how this form of reaching out will work for human kind. What affects will it have? How will it change our social structure locally, nationally, globally? Well we learn to express ourselves more fully or will it force our true faces even deeper? Because there really in no such thing as anonymous and once you tell a secret it out and will get back to you.

Well as I said to another blogger about this new form of communication, "It gives us something to do."

P.S. oh, as to being wise and reaching out to the people in pain. I did respond to some blogger and not to others (some touched me more then others I guess) and I most likely wasn't any wiser then any other person. So maybe I touched someone or may didn't only time might tell.

Are Women going about things backwards?

2005-02-15T22:21:00.000-05:00

To start I think I should make it perfectly clear that I totally be men and women are equal. I believe we can do the same task just as well. There are times I believe in general women may approach a given task in a different way then men but then again I think the same can be said from people from different cultures. And at this time if I had to vote either Pro-Choice or Pro-Life I’d have to vote Pro-Choice.

That being said I wish there was a woman’s group that would work at uniting women instead of driving them apart. The best example of this is N.O.W. (National Organization for Women.) Add the fact that they join up with every other minority or fringe group regardless is this is really in the best interest of women. Though NOW does work on several issue, without a doubt it spends an amazing about of money, time and member energy on Abortion. It spends more time on abortion then on actually getting health insurance to cover THE PILL. And though might support other fringe groups most of them really don’t give the women’s group much support back. For example the Gay lobbies know how to focus and drive their issues to the front and it’s not Uncommon to see NOW right beside them supporting them in their issues. But how often have you hear “Say while your giving us the right to get married why don’t you make sure Women get equal pay for the same jobs?” Hummmm, I never hear it on the new or seen signs at their rallies…

Why can’t a woman’s organization work on topics that a majority of women can get behind? You know about half the women are pro-choice and half are pro-life but I’m willing to bet most are behind ending domestic violence. In fact we can find a bunch of men to support that issue as well. Just think if all the time and resources spent on abortion by NOW where focused on this issue. They could increase their membership roles; maybe get some really money behind programs to re-education attitudes, safe house, and better legislation why all sorts of things might get done.

Why do I think NOW is a bit blind in this area? Well they seem to ignore some very sound arguments on the apposing side.

1st It still takes both sexes to make babies and there are some sound arguments about a father's rights.

2nd This is how we procreate the race, and thus does make it an issue that matters to whole race. I'm not saying everyone needs to be involve on every individual decisions but if individuals end up collectively making choice that shift a population base it can become a major issue for that civilization. For example in Japan and Chine have had a sharp decline in women having babies (China was basically happy about that at first) but even more disturbing was the tend to have only male babies. Though China wanted control it's population growth it didn't want a country full of men and now women. It would leave it's distant future in doubt. Canada actually pays couples to have children to help boost their population growth. So you can see how individual reproduction choices can affect an entire population.

3rd If you believe in a soul and the dignity of human life there does come a point of when a human is a human and when they are just a bunch of cells. With the advance of science that line has become more and more blurred. If you can have a premature baby born at 7 month grow up outside the mother to be a fully functional human then is the 7th month fetus really just some cells to flush out of a women when she doesn't want it? OR is it really just an accepted form of infanticide at that point?

But there are sound points on the pro-choice side too…..

1st how can I make any women carry something in her for 9 month after such things as a rape or incest?

2nd The woman I know is an intelligent spiritual being for a fact, the fetus is the potential for that. So I say go for the bird in the hand instead of two in the bush as it where. So choice between mother and fetus you should go mother.

3rd In the end women are tied more directly to the child because she has to carry it for nine months. It's hard for her to legally escape the child then a man. A man can denies the child is his and it pretty much required a legal court to determine that he is the father. But a mother just needs a person or two to see that she's pregnant and that it (don't even have to see the actually birth.)

But the point is there are good sound arguments on both sides and things are not as black and white as both sides like us to think. So maybe NOW should decide what’s really important. Reproduction rights? Or Equal Rights? They currently believe they are the same, but I don’t think so. Women will have children and it does matter to the whole race and as such the human race will be involved in how that reproduction is conducted- always. But weather I have a baby or not I should be able to choose what job I want to try for, have the same resources available that men have and my culture should make me reasonable safe from bodily harm. In fact maybe once I have those three things we’ll find the abortion issue isn’t as important as we thought it was.

Just a thought…

Why I might be concidered strange

2005-02-15T13:06:00.000-05:00

Now keep in mind that even though I do consider myself somewhat strange that doesn't mean I don't share many, many traites with other people. I would just consider them strange as well.

For example there are several webs sites that let you take a "Nerd" or "Geek" test. I take these tests from time to time and take great pride in the high scores I get. The higher the better and when I get scores showing I'm a greater geek then any of my friends, especially male friends I'm even happier. Of course others must feel the way I do or there wouldn't be any of these test found on the internet. But even in the day and age of Bill Gates your generally on social shacky ground to be a "geek" so the majority of people don't get the thrill for it I do. So I'm somewhat strange.

Anyhow I thought I might list off of my hobbies to help give people a peek into my strangeness.

I like to do the following:
read science fiction
read about science (almost anything)
learning history
reading romance and mystery stories
build and work with computers
have or play with almost any kind of gaget
read about cool gagets
Make spread sheets
Play role playing games like D&d, Fadingsuns, Forbidden Kingdoms, Stargate, 7th Sea, Shadowrun, Paranoina, White Wolf, Star Trek, Star Wars, elfquest, etc.....
playing board games
playing card games though not the collectable kind
Watching Science Fiction
Watching old movies
Watching new movies
Reading comics
Reading craft magazines and books
doing needlework (Crossstitch, needlepoint, braizlian work, hangdanger, knitting, etc...)
Sewing (Love to make costumes)
metal working
wood working
carpentary
construction and home improvement
jewlery making
Camping
Canoeing
hiking
swimming
weight lifting
yoga
arobatic dance
Dancing
cooking (My latest love is thai food)

Well thats it for today,

Remember to look both ways...........

Can't trust a Tech mag with a political agenda

2005-02-12T14:55:00.000-05:00

I was going to start my blog by telling people why I’m a strange woman. But I read something today and decide I should start with the Strange world part.

I’m an engineer (and of course spell like one) and I subscribe to several engineering, cad, manufacturing, technology and science magazines. Around 75% of these magazines where sent to my office. Of the 75% most of them I browse through quickly reading only the articles that seem of interest or pulling the adds of some potential suppliers. But this year when the renews came up I decided to route several of the magazines to my home where I could read them more fully.

One of these was Machine Design and it has articles such as Margin of Safety, A bear’s life is the Key, and Plastic Nuts now an option for High Temps. Articles only an engineer could love and for the most part I’m pretty happy with these topics. So I sat down today to read through a few of them that have collected in my living rooms. You’ll never guess what the first item is that I read. It’s an editorial on Welfare Mothers and how the US welfare system is causing Mothers to have children out of wedlock and breed like rabbits to boot. Now reading this you’d at least think the topic would relate somehow and in some way to manufacturing but not really.

So in the next mag there are several letters to the editor but only 1 points out some of the faults to the editors logic about welfare moms, the rest praise the editor for telling like it is. Bad evil liberals will bring down the country, and only god fear Christians who preach abstinence will make good environment for manufacturing business. One even preached about the evils of evolution being taught in American schools (Something that only actually happens in 52% of our schools sorry to say.) And to make things more irritating the editor writes a follow stating that all the people who complained about the previous article had nothing to do with manufacturing or decide where just idiots (Like me I guess). He then related this story about how the crime rate had risen in his nice office building even though it was in a nice part of town. The rate had raised so much in fact they moved the whole business to a new building where people started getting mugged in the parking lot.

And obviously this crime rate is a direct result of all the welfare babies in the city (though I will concede poverty and crime are link there is actually a stronger link to no welfare system and high poverty, high low income babies, and high crime.) He states that all his worldly wisdom comes not from living the city, or has been born in poverty and getting himself out, or even having a good friend who’s a welfare mom. NO his knowledge comes from driving into the city to work, talking to a few co-workers, and a poor parking garage attendant. (Though he never tells us the parking garage attendant’s attitude on welfare.)

Why is this all so strange you ask? Well I just can’t get my mind around some concepts here….

Why does my magazine about machine design, an item I read on how new technology and tips helps make better product cheaper and faster, have political editorials about a topic not related to manufacturing let alone on how to design a something like a new screw?
How can a magazine that is suppose to be helping professionals, who are supposedly educated and have some logic in there thinking write a political editorial that is obviously, ill thought out, total emotional and actually reflect the thinking styles of Archie Bunker from “All in the Family”?

He and his supporters assume welfare moms sit at home doing pretty much nothing but having too many babies.

i. In truth a large percent of the country is what is called working poor. They work full time and still don’t have enough money to make ends meet.

ii. I myself was on WIC but at that time My husband was in the Navy and we had just been reassigned during my 3^rd month and he was do to be reassigned 1 month after our child was born. So even though my husband was working full time defending our country and they moved use all over this country we still could not make ends meet and more then qualified for basically baby food stamps.

They assume that by taking and preaching a high moral ground, abstinence, marriage before sex, only have kids you can afford (though I’m willing to bet this editor is against abortion too and having medical insurance pay for birth control.) But I pretty much don’t know of a single time or place on this planet where this moral high ground solves the problem of poverty and crime. In fact I can actually point to times in history where this judgmental attitude actually made things worse.
He offers no scientific studies or data to support his position (I might not ask for this out of a news paper editorial but if you putting it in a tech mag it might give you a little more accreditation.)

If he was trying to open this up for debate why did he only publish one dissenting position, yet implied there had been more.
Why insult you reader by calling them idiots?
Who is actually reading these magazines? I had assumed it was people like me who had gone to at least some level of higher education and more specifically had some science.

If they had taken science course like chemistry, physics, biology, etc. how can you complain the schools are teaching evolution verse Creationism?
Evolution vs Creationism ok, most people don’t even really understand evolution but how do you explain the fossils? God’s tricking us or even allowing the devil too. Well then how can you believe in any other science you’re taught? And if you don’t believe in any of the basic laws of the universe how can to deal with physics? And if you can’t deal with physics how can you applied the formulas to engineering. And then you have the who chemistry side and metallurgy.

How can educated people so blindly ignore certain question on issues like this?

In a capitalistic system there are always has to be the rich and there has to be poor people. Just like to have airflow you have to have hot air and cool air. You can modify the system to make it a bit more controllable like welfare so the poor aren’t starving on the street or a big electric fan to move the air.
China is a manufacturing Mecca right now and why? Well it has tones of people who are poor and will work really, really cheap. It’s not because of quality or education there (I had to explain what a force gage was to a manufacture tech over there.) So basically American manufacture might be happier with more poverty babies down the line. Get rid of welfare so the poor babies will start working for cheap in American plants (maybe this is the editors really goal? But I doubt he’s evil, more likely just self-centered.)
Almost any organize system of government that cares even a little bit about lasting past 50 years has some form of welfare. Even medieval villages had forms of welfare.
In the US most American’s are 1 paycheck away form total poverty but in our economic systems American’s have to spend money. So if they slow down spending and save more that hurts the economy and thus manufacturing (I can prove it in Michigan over and over). But if they keep spending like they do we get more and more walking line and some of them are going to end up broke.

And these are just a few of the issues to deal with, and yet this guy can just come out and say get ride of welfare make all the poor work, and if they have babies they must be weak individuals and deserve the poverty and starvation.

Well that’s my rant for the time, one of those strange things about the world I just can’t understand. I have to go cancel my subscription because I rather demand my tech mags stay tech.

2005-02-11T10:58:00.000-05:00

I'm the woman with Markus and Dr. Franklin

test post for first time

2005-02-11T09:55:00.000-05:00

I'm on a short 10 min brake here and part of that was setting up this page. so this post is just to pretty much test things out. See how things look. Hopefully by the time anyone ever looks at this page I'll have something of interest or post or express.

Strange Female in a Strange World

Islam is not tolerant

Afghans Protest Decision on Christian

Death to Evil Hair Stylist

Quick recap of Muhhammad Cartoon row

Islam and Women

How long can they Hate?

Anti-Islamic Images

Protesters Rampage in 2 Pakistani Cities

Protesters Rampage in 2 Pakistani Cities

Feature Articles

Islamic Youths Post a "We're Sorry" website

Another Moderate Muslim is heard from - Yeah there is hope

What would Muhammad do?

Free Speech & Ben Franklin

Great Muhammad and other Political Cartoons

American Press and Muhammad Catroons

Freedom for Egyptians: Egyptian Newspaper Pictures that Published Cartoons 5 months ago

Rantings of a Sandmonkey: Boycott Egypt

Mohammed Cartoons In Egyptian Newspaper

Reasonable Muslim that has a sense of humour

Iran to host Holocaust Cartoon Contest

Muhammed Cartoon II

Muhammed Cartoons

What Next in Blogging

So far in the world of blogging

Are Women going about things backwards?

Why I might be concidered strange

Can't trust a Tech mag with a political agenda

test post for first time