Jihad in the U.S. -- Oh, yes, it's underway here too...

[Snowden]

Spencer Blogging the Qur’an: Sura 34, “Sheba,” and Sura 35, “The Angels”



“And the Unbelievers say of the Truth when it comes to them, ‘This is nothing but evident magic!’”

The latest in the ongoing series at Hot Air:

Sura 34 dates from the Meccan period, during a time when, according to Maududi, “the Islamic movement was being suppressed…by resort to derision and ridicule, rumor mongering, false allegations and casting of evil suggestions in the people’s minds.” It is noteworthy how large such incidents loom in Islamic sacred history, and helps illuminate the furious reaction some modern-day Muslims have had to mild ridicule in the form of political cartoons. In any case, objections to Muhammad’s message are repeated, each introduced by the phrase “the unbelievers say,” in verses 3, 7, 29, 31, and 43, and Allah at each point answers them.

Verses 1-9 warn the unbelievers of Allah’s omniscience and the coming Judgment. Given the universal Islamic teaching that Allah is the sole speaker throughout the Qur’an, v. 1 may seem jarring, what with Allah saying, “Praise be to Allah.” Such a phrase would be much more natural in the mouth of Muhammad – but having Muhammad speak would be inconsistent with the idea that the Qur’an is the perfect word of Allah that existed forever with him. In any case, this has never posed any difficulty for Islamic exegetes. Ibn Kathir is typical in ignoring the difficulty and glossing the verse as meaning that “Allah tells us that all praise belongs to Him alone in this world and in the Hereafter.”

In any case, despite Allah’s knowledge of everything (v. 2), the unbelievers deny that the Hour of Judgment will ever come (v. 3). Allah tells Muhammad to swear “by my Lord” that it will indeed come – as he does also in two other places: 10:53 and 64:7. Those who work against Allah’s signs (ayat, the word that is also used for verses of the Qur’an) will be painfully punished (v. 5).

These unbelievers ridicule the idea of a physical resurrection (v. 7) and ask if Muhammad is inventing lies about Allah (v. 8). Allah responds by saying that those who disbelieve in the afterlife are the ones who are wrong (v. 8), and that the fact that he can destroy the earth is a sign from Allah for the believers (v. 9).

Verses 10-21 invoke David (vv. 10-11), Solomon (vv. 12-14), and the people of Sheba (vv. 15-21). Allah orders the mountains and birds to join David in singing Allah’s praises (v. 10): Ibn Kathir says that Allah had blessed David “with a mighty voice. Such that when he glorified Allah, the firm, solid, high mountains joined him in glorifying Allah, and the free-roaming birds, who go out in the morning and come back in the evening, stopped for him, and he was able to speak all languages.” Then follows a list of Allah’s blessings to Solomon (vv. 12-14). The people of Sheba were also blessed with two bountiful gardens (v. 15), but when they rejected Allah, he turned the gardens’ fruit bitter (v. 16). Allah never does such things except to the ungrateful (v. 17) – a verse that strongly supports the commonly held idea in the Islamic world that piety in Islam will equal earthly success, and rejecting Allah will bring disaster in this world as well as in the next. Said Mujahid: “He does not punish anyone except the disbelievers.”

In verses 22-31 Allah tells Muhammad various things to say to the unbelievers: their idols are powerless (v. 22); no one will intercede for them on the Day of Judgment (v. 23). In v. 25, according to Ibn Kathir, Muhammad is instructed to disown the unbelievers, “saying, ‘you do not belong to us and we do not belong to you, because we call people to Allah, to believe that He is the Only God and to worship Him alone. If you respond, then you will belong to us and we to you, but if you reject our call, then we have nothing to do with you and you have nothing to do with us.’” Allah will ultimately judge between the believers and the unbelievers (v. 26). Muhammad is a universal messenger (v. 27); the Indian Qur’an commentator Maulana Bulandshahri records a hadith in which Muhammad says, “By Allah! The person, be he a Jew or a Christian, who does not believe in me after hearing of me shall be of the inmates of hell.”

Verses 32-54 continue these themes: the arrogant reject Muhammad’s message, but they will believe when they taste Allah’s punishment (v. 33); wealth holds people back from following Allah (vv. 34-37); but Allah decides who is wealthy and who isn’t (v. 39); the angels will disavow those who worshipped them (vv. 40-41); Muhammad seeks no reward from men, but only from Allah (v. 47).

Sura 35 is also Meccan, and repeats many familiar themes. Says Maududi: “The discourse is meant to warn and reprove the people of Makkah [Mecca] and their chiefs for their antagonistic attitude that they had then adopted towards the Holy Prophet’s message of Tauhid [the unity of Allah].” It also starts with the curious “Praise be to Allah” (v. 1). In it, Allah affirms his omnipotence (vv. 1-3) and tells Muhammad that if he is rejected, so were the earlier prophets (v. 4). Men should not be deceived by this present life (v. 5) or by Satan (v. 6); the unbelievers will suffer terrible punishment (v. 7); the believers and unbelievers are not equal, “for Allah leaves to stray whom He wills, and guides whom He wills,” so Muhammad shouldn’t waste his time grieving over the unbelievers. (v. 8).

Verses 9-17 and 27-28 detail Allah’s power as manifest in the natural world, in contrast to the powerlessness of the idols (vv. 13-14). Verses 18-22 stress the sharp contrast between believers and unbelievers. No one can bear another’s burdens; everyone must come to Allah individually (v. 18). Verses 23-26 are addressed to Muhammad, and he is reminded that he is only to warn the people of Allah’s punishment (v. 23); if they reject him, they rejected also the earlier prophets (v. 25). Verses 29-35 promise bountiful rewards to the righteous, and verses 36-37 return once again to the torments of hell, when the damned will cry to Allah for help and he will remind them that he sent them a messenger to warn them (v. 37).

Verses 38-45 conclude the sura with more warnings. The Muslims are “inheritors in the earth,” so those who reject Allah are simply cheating themselves (v. 39). Those whom people worship besides Allah are powerless, and don’t even have a book (as does Muhammad) (v. 40). The arrogant should travel through the earth and see how those who rejected Allah in earlier generations were destroyed (v. 44). Yet even so, Allah doesn’t punish men as they deserve (v. 45).

Next week: Sura 36, “Ya Sin,” which contains yet another ringing denial of free will: “And We have put a bar in front of them and a bar behind them, and further, We have covered them up; so that they cannot see. The same is it to them whether thou admonish them or thou do not admonish them: they will not believe.”

Jihad Watch: Spencer Blogging the Qur’an: Sura 34, “Sheba,” and Sura 35, “The Angels”

[Snowden]

Obama promises to "tear down walls" between Muslims and the rest of the world

More meaningless chatter that only belies Obama's ignorance -- real or feigned -- of Islam. "Walls separating Muslims, Christians, Jews must be torn down," from Khabrein, July 25:

Obama BERLIN, (KUNA) -- Democratic candidate for US Presidency Barack Obama on Thursday underlined the need to support Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinians, noting that such thing could be achieved through cooperation and display of confidence.

Nice, high-spirited words -- but what exactly do they foreshadow? "Cooperation" perhaps with sharia mandates? "Confidence" by way of looking the other way whenever and wherever jihad rears its head -- as if to say, "We trust you, jihadis, and have confidence that you really don't mean what you say"?

Obama, who is currently on a European tour after his Middle Eastern one, called for "tearing down walls in the world between Muslims, Christians and Jews, as they were destroyed in the Balkans and Berlin."

To achieve this, you would first have to "tear down" Islam's books (see the posting below), which have been creating "walls" between Muslims and the rest for 1400 years.

On the Iranian nuclear program, Obama stressed the need to diplomatically-urge Tehran to abandon its uranium enrichment plans

Now there's an unprecedented idea.


Dhimmi Watch: Obama promises to "tear down walls" between Muslims and the rest of the world

[Snowden]

Dearborn: Two Muslim women sue McDonalds for $10 million for not hiring them over Islamic attire


Fast food restaurants have employee dress codes not only for appearances, but for hygiene and safety. With that in mind, this case is sounding a lot like the case of the women wanting to wear Islamic attire in a Midwestern tortilla factory. The local health inspector isn't going to take kindly to long sleeves potentially brushing perishable food, and/or the grill and fryer oil, to say nothing of guidelines for hand-washing (see also: the debate over short sleeves in British hospitals). Then there is the matter of long attire and the potential need to make a quick exit in the event of a fire or robbery.

There are many functional reasons for demanding standardized attire, but there is also the matter of allowing special treatment for a small part of the work force. And would the uniform issue be the end of the demands for accommodation? For example, would these women refuse to make a burger with bacon?

"Two Muslim women sue McDonald's, alleging discrimination," by Gregg Krupa for the Detroit News, July 24:

DEARBORN -- Two Muslim women say that a McDonald's restaurant refused to hire them, and insulted them during job interviews because they wear traditional Islamic dress.

Toi Whitfield, 20, of Detroit and Quiana Pugh, 25, of Dearborn sued McDonald's, the owner of the local franchise and its unidentified manager in Wayne County Circuit Court on Thursday. Their representative said they are considering filing civil rights complaints with the federal and state governments.

"I applied for the McDonald's position maybe two weeks ago and he simply (told me) I had to make a choice and remove my hijab, or I would not be able to establish employment there," Pugh said.

"When I walked away, I was definitely hurt by it and disturbed. I was confused that it could happen here in Dearborn, with so many Muslims," she said.

A man who would not identify himself at the restaurant, on Ford Road near Schaefer, referred all questions to representatives for McDonald's. "We're just trying to figure out what is going on," he said.

The man said the manager in question at the restaurant would not have a comment.

The women are seeking $10 million in a suit.

Dhimmi Watch: Dearborn: Two Muslim women sue McDonalds for $10 million for not hiring them over Islamic attire

[Snowden]

Obama's win-win position with Muslims



"Obama and Muslim voters a 'double whammy'?" by Michael Conlon, for Reuters, July 25:

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Barack Obama should be able to count on heavy support from U.S. Muslims in the November election, if polls are correct, but he risks offending some members of that faith by having to explain he is not one himself.

This is by far an over-exaggerated "risk." Muslims know that, to reach the Oval Office, Obama has to "distance" himself from their faith---after all, taqiyya is a part of the culture. I have even spoken with an Obama-supporting Muslim who has made this clear: when asked how he "felt" about Obama's recent distancing from Islam, he simply said, "Well, of course he has to act this way, publicly." At any rate, what alternative is left Muslims -- McCain?

There have also been unconfirmed reports that the Obama campaign plans to appoint a liaison to the Muslim community.

[...]


A religion section on an Obama Web site, "Fight the Smears," that was created to deal with such rumors, labels claims that he is a Muslim a "lie" and states he "has never been a Muslim, was not raised as a Muslim and is a committed Christian."

"We know he isn't a Muslim but who cares if he is?" said Sofian Zakkout, director of the American Muslim Association of North America.

Obama's pledge "to bring communities together" is his appeal, Zakkout said, and "We don't expect him to come to us and say, 'I'm with you.' We don't need that."

Exactly, since in this context "bringing communities together" means nothing less than placing American Muslims in a stronger, less assailable, position.

But Saaqib Rangoonwala, managing editor of Southern California InFocus, a Muslim newspaper, sees a close election in which "American Muslim votes will be needed and it is time for Muslims to take a stand ...


"Muslims are not less deserving of Obama's time than other groups that he has met with ... to his credit, he met with a Muslim leader and personally apologized to the Muslim women who were banned by campaign volunteers from sitting behind the podium at a Detroit rally because the women wore hijabs," he said.

[...]

But he thinks Obama may be "overcompensating" in trying to correct the misconception he is a Muslim, leaving the impression that being a Muslim is somehow un-American -- a "double whammy."

Not so: clever Obama knows that he can go out of his way to distance himself from Muslims, thereby appearing more neutral and objective in non-Muslim American eyes, and at the same time still count on Muslim votes, since rare is the Muslim who will vote for McCain anyway.

[...]


Abdulaziz Al-Salim, 23, a Minnesota native who now lives in Daman, Saudi Arabia, where he works as a financial analyst for Saudi Aramco, the oil company, said he was sad that "being associated with Muslims is a political liability."

But he said he would vote for Obama "for the same reasons that everyone else is supporting him. He's a unifier, charismatic and represents change."

Dhimmi Watch: Obama's win-win position with Muslims

[Snowden]

Head of jihadist school in Virginia guilty of not reporting child abuse


This is a sidelight on the main issue at the Islamic Saudi Academy, which is that it is teaching jihad and Islamic supremacism, and turning out jihadists. Maybe he didn't know he was supposed to file such a report. That is remotely possible, although generally school districts are quite adamant about this sort of thing, and it would be hard to miss.

But there are a few other considerations. First, on the sexual abuse of a five-year-old, this is a Saudi-run school. Just last month we saw Dr. Ahmad Al-Mu'bi, "a Saudi marriage officiant," saying that "there is no minimal age for entering marriage. You can have a marriage contract even with a one-year-old girl, not to mention a girl of nine, seven, or eight....But is the girl ready for sex or not? What is the appropriate age for having sex for the first time? This varies according to environment and traditions." With attitudes like that prevalent in Saudi Arabia, and of course they're reinforced by the fact that Islamic tradition says that Muhammad married Aisha when she was six and consummated the marriage when she was nine, why should anyone be surprised that this Saudi academy would turn a blind eye to the sexual abuse of a five-year-old?

Then again, even if Al-Shabnan deplored what was going on, he may have hesitated to report it to the filthy kuffar, the "vilest of created beings" (Qur'an 98:6). It is considered a good thing to conceal the faults of a fellow Muslim, as Muhammad said: "The servant (who conceals) the faults of others in this world, Allah would conceal his faults on the Day of Resurrection" (Sahih Muslim 32.6267). The ordinary understanding of slander in the West is that it involves making false charges that defame another person. But in Islamic law, the definition of slander doesn't involve falsehood. The Shafi'i manual of Islamic law 'Umdat al-Salik defines "slander" as "to mention anything concerning a person that he would dislike." Nothing is said about whether or not what is said is true -- only that the person would dislike it. And this is based on a statement of Muhammad to the same effect.

Also, how would a five-year-old girl in ordinary circumstances know enough to make sexual abuse allegations just to get attention? Could it be that Al-Shabnan did not want to make known, especially to the unbelievers, what his Muslim brother would dislike? After all, as the Qur'an warns, "Woe unto every slandering traducer" (104:1).

This story yet again raises the question: does the United States really want, and can it really afford, to admit large numbers of people into the country who hold these kinds of assumptions?

"Head of Islamic School Guilty Of Not Reporting Child Abuse," by Tom Jackman for the Washington Post, July 31 (thanks to all who sent this in):

The director general of a controversial private Islamic school in Fairfax County has been found guilty of a misdemeanor charge of failing to report child abuse and fined $500.

Abdalla I. Al-Shabnan, head of the Islamic Saudi Academy on Route 1 in the Mount Vernon area, was arrested last month by Fairfax police, who said Al-Shabnan had been informed of the possible sexual abuse of a 5-year-old student at the school. School authorities are required by law to report alleged child abuse within 72 hours.

Al-Shabnan was charged with misdemeanor counts of failing to report child abuse and obstruction of justice. He pleaded no contest July 24 to the failure to report charge, and Fairfax prosecutors agreed to dismiss the obstruction charge, according to court records.

Al-Shabnan did not return a phone call seeking comment yesterday. His attorney, Robert C. Whitestone, said, "We thought it was a fair resolution."

The Islamic Saudi Academy has come under criticism because some of its textbooks contain passages that extol jihad and martyrdom, call for victory over one's enemies and say the killing of adulterers and apostates is justified. The academy has rented the school from Fairfax County since 1984, and the county recently renewed its lease for three years....

Cultural differences might have led to the episode that resulted in Al-Shabnan's arrest. A police affidavit filed last month said that detectives learned in May that the 5-year-old girl attended the academy's West Campus on Popes Head Road, just south of Fairfax City, and her sexual abuse allegations had been reported to the school's administrators. No report was made to any state agency.

Detectives interviewed the girl and then visited Al-Shabnan, who said he "did not believe her complaint and felt she may be attempting to gain attention," according to the affidavit by Detective Doug Comfort.

Al-Shabnan told police that he met with the child's parents and advised them to seek counseling for the girl. Al-Shabnan then reportedly told the detectives that he "was not aware that he was required to make such a report" to child protective agencies, Comfort wrote. Police also found that Al-Shabnan had "ordered the written report deleted from the computer" of the school....

Jihad Watch: Head of jihadist school in Virginia guilty of not reporting child abuse