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| India-Pakistan |
| Pakistan bans latest issue of Newsweek, calls article offensive to Islam |
| 2003-07-27 |
| Followup to article from 7/24/03, adds a bit more context... Hat tip: Tacitus for the first 2 links... There are three bits here... The real reason this is newsworthy is that Islam, Religion of Peaceâ¢, is not only based upon, but actually dependent upon, the absolute claim that it is "the verbatim revelation of Allah, speaking to his prophet, Muhammad, through the Angel Gabriel, in Arabic." Of course this is problematic, given modern science... Read the Tacitus intro (see third item on page linked above)... Note that questioning this claim is forbidden: "Islamic scholars who have dared ignore this taboo have often found themselves labeled heretics and targeted with death threats and violence." Per the title, hereâs the "news"... Pakistan bans latest issue of Newsweek, calls article offensive to Islam ASSOCIATED PRESS ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 24 â Pakistan has banned the latest issue of Newsweekâs international edition, saying an article on new interpretations of the Quran offends Islam. The information minister said Thursday that customs authorities have been ordered to seize copies of the edition. more... And the light-reading version about the fire beneath the smoke of PakIslamic indignation... Challenging the Qurâan A German scholar contends that the Islamic text has been mistranscribed and promises raisins, not virgins By Stefan Theil NEWSWEEK INTERNATIONAL July 28 issue â In a note of encouragement to his fellow hijackers, September 11 ringleader Muhammad Atta cheered their impending âmarriage in Paradiseâ to the 72 wide-eyed virgins the Qurâan promises to the departed faithful. Palestinian newspapers have been known to describe the death of a suicide bomber as a âwedding to the black-eyed in eternal Paradise.â But if a German expert on Middle Eastern languages is correct, these hopes of sexual reward in the afterlife are based on a terrible misunderstanding. more... And, finally, the real thing for those that actually have do an inquiring mind... From The Atlantic, January 1999, this is the spark that started the fire. What is the Koran? Researchers with a variety of academic and theological interests are proposing controversial theories about the Koran and Islamic history, and are striving to reinterpret Islam for the modern world. This is, as one scholar puts it, a "sensitive business"... by Toby Lester More... This is actually a good read and quite interesting - especially given the sputtering outrage and dire threats that have emanated from Islam... including taking the step of banning an issue of Newsweek just for mentioning the resulting debate. Islam - Religion of Tolerance⢠|
| Posted by:PD |
| #9 Arabic, Aramaic, whats a few |
| Posted by: PD 2003-7-27 2:26:57 PM |
| #8 "the verbatim revelation of Allah, speaking to his prophet, Muhammad, through the Angel Gabriel, in Arabic." No, it was Lucifer who told Mohammed that sheer lie! *ducks stones* 72 raisins. And the terrorists have a fiery eternity over which to spread out the eating. |
| Posted by: Tangara 2003-7-27 2:21:50 PM |
| #7 There may be the start of an answer - fund the Druze! *Druze Studies Org* - Hakim was the 6th Fatimid Caliph who became the head of the Islamic Fatimid state in 996 at the age of eleven. Although Hakimâs attitude towards the emerging reform movement that later became known as âDruzeâ is not fully discernible from available sources, he is regarded within the Druze manuscripts as the founding father of Druzism and the source of its strict unitarianism. Among the reforms he introduced were resolutions to (1) abolish slavery, (2) prohibit polygamy, and (3) implement a form of separation of church and state. While these reforms did not become part of orthodox Islam, the Druzes, as well as other Islamic sectarian movements, adopted them. ... Only those members of the community who demonstrate piety and devotion and who have withstood a lengthy process of candidacy are initiated into the teachings of the Druze faith. Women may also be initiated in the Druze doctrine. The Druze tradition considers women to be more spiritually prepared than men to enter such circles because they are considered less likely to be exposed to deviant or immoral practices such as murder and adultery. SEE ALSO *the Druze* |
| Posted by: John Anderson 2003-7-27 2:02:02 PM |
| #6 Frank G - uh, no, I finally found 'em... but how could you know that? Spooky. |
| Posted by: PD 2003-7-27 11:41:52 AM |
| #5 PD - rare form today...heh heh..lost your meds? ;-) |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-7-27 11:26:26 AM |
| #4 And it was your action, thoughtful and selfish, that has led to this moment. I hope you're satisfied! Ha! (Eyes flashing with indignant self-righteousness, he hit the "Submit Query" button and in an flash of irrelevant affected thought, common to his mental affliction, he wondered why it wasn't labeled something more purposeful and fulfilling... something like "Submit Righteous Indignation" or "Submit The Truth" or "Submit, I am GOD!" and then, as quickly as it had come, it was gone. And as the page refreshed he saw how pathetic, how lame, how insincere his response was... and he sighed, deeply, and thought, "Aw Fuck It." - and turned off the BBC so he could regain some perspective. |
| Posted by: PD 2003-7-27 4:52:18 AM |
| #3 What a coincidence! Several months ago, I banned Newsweek from my home for being offensive to common sense. |
| Posted by: JDB 2003-7-27 4:32:01 AM |
| #2 Muhammad to the faithful, "Oops! My bad!" |
| Posted by: PD 2003-7-27 3:43:48 AM |
| #1 Raisins, RAISINS, You mean I blew myself up for 72 ** RAISINS ** ??? Oh, THIS will hurt recruiters From article: Luxenberg, a professor of Semitic languages at one of Germanyâs leading universities, has chosen to remain anonymous because he fears a fatwa by enraged Islamic extremists. Gee, 'ya think? Move over Rushdie! From article: in Sura 24, the verse that calls for women to snap their scarves over their bags Now there's a word picture! From article: The forthcoming book contains plenty of other bombshells If he lives to publish... |
| Posted by: parallaxview 2003-7-27 2:20:12 AM |