Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU HAD "THE CRUSADES" THROWN IN YOUR FACE BY ANTI-CATHOLICS.MY LAST TIME WAS FROM A 19 YEAR OLD COLLEGE PUNK...AND I SWORE THE NEXT TIME...I WOULD BE PREPARED.KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.READ AND MEMORIZE THIS.
The Crusades
Muslims love talking about the Crusades… and Christians love apologizing for them. To hear both parties tell the story, one would believe that Muslims were just peacefully minding their own business in lands that were legitimately Muslim when Christian armies decided to wage holy war and "kill millions.”
The Truth:
Every part of this myth is a lie. By the rules that Muslims claim for themselves, the Crusades were perfectly justified, and the excesses (though beneath Christian standards) pale in comparison with the historical treatment of conquered populations at the hands of Muslims.
Here are some quick facts…
The first Crusade began in 1095… 460 years after the first Christian city was overrun by Muslim armies, 457 years after Jerusalem was conquered by Muslim armies, 453 years after Egypt was taken by Muslim armies, 443 after Muslims first plundered Italy, 427 years after Muslim armies first laid siege to the Christian capital of Constantinople, 380 years after Spain was conquered by Muslim armies, 363 years after France was first attacked by Muslim armies, 249 years after the capital of the Christian world, Rome itself, was sacked by a Muslim army, and only after centuries of church burnings, killings, enslavement and forced conversions of Christians.
By the time the Crusades finally began, Muslim armies had conquered two-thirds of the Christian world.
Europe had been harassed by Muslims since the first few years following Muhammad’s death. As early as 652, Muhammad’s followers launched raids on the island of Sicily, waging a full-scale occupation 200 years later that lasted almost a century and was punctuated by massacres, such as that at the town of Castrogiovanni, in which 8,000 Christians were put to death. In 1084, ten years before the first crusade, Muslims staged another devastating Sicilian raid, burning churches in Reggio, enslaving monks and raping an abbey of nuns before carrying them into captivity.
In 1095, Byzantine Emperor, Alexius I Comneus began begging the pope in Rome for help in turning back the Muslim armies which were overrunning what is now Turkey, grabbing property as they went and turning churches into mosques. Several hundred thousand Christians had been killed in Anatolia alone in the decades following 1050 by Seljuk invaders interested in 'converting' the survivors to Islam.
Not only were Christians losing their lives in their own lands to the Muslim advance but pilgrims to the Holy Land from other parts of Europe were being harassed, kidnapped, molested, forcibly converted to Islam and occasionally murdered. (Compare this to Islam’s justification for slaughter on the basis of Muslims being denied access to the Meccan pilgrimage in Muhammad’s time).
The Crusaders only invaded lands that were Christian. They did not attack Saudi Arabia (other than a half-hearted expedition by a minor figure) or sack Mecca as the Muslims had done (and continued doing) to Italy and Constantinople. Their primary goal was the recapture of Jerusalem and the security of safe passage for pilgrims. The toppling of the Muslim empire was not on the agenda.
The period of Crusader “occupation” (of its own former land) was stretched tenuously over about 170 years, which is less than the Muslim occupation of Sicily and southern Italy alone - to say nothing of Spain and other lands that had never been Islamic before falling victim to Jihad. In fact, the Arab occupation of North Africa and Middle Eastern lands outside of Arabia is almost 1400 years old.
Despite popular depiction, the Crusades were not a titanic battle between Christianity and Islam. Although originally dispatched by papal decree, the "occupiers" quickly became part of the political and economic fabric of the Middle East without much regard for religious differences. Their arrival was largely accepted by the local population as simply another change in authority. Muslim radicals even lamented the fact that many of their co-religionists preferred to live under Frankish (Christian) rule than migrate to Muslim lands.
The Islamic world was split into warring factions, many of which allied themselves with the Frankish princes against each other at one time or another. This even included Saladin, the Kurdish warrior who is credited with eventually ousting the "Crusaders." Contrary to recent propaganda, however, Saladin had little interest in holy war until a rogue Frankish prince began disrupting his trade routes. Both before and after the taking of Jerusalem, his armies spent far more time and resources battling fellow Muslims.
For its part, the Byzantine (Eastern Christian) Empire preferred to have little to do with the Crusader kingdoms and went so far as to sign treaties with their Muslim rivals on occasion.
Another misconception is that the Crusader era was a time of constant war. In fact, very little of this overall period included significant hostilities. In response to Muslim expansion or aggression, there were only about 20 years of actual military campaigning, much of which was spent on organization and travel. (They were from 1098-1099, 1146-1148, 1188-1192, 1201-1204, 1218-1221, 1228-1229, and 1248-1250). By comparison, the Muslim Jihad against the island of Sicily alone lasted 75 grinding years.
Ironically, the Crusades are justified by the Quran itself, which encourages Holy War in order to "drive them out of the places from whence they drove you out" (2:191), even though the aim wasn't to expel Muslims from the Middle East, but more to bring an end to the molestation of pilgrims. Holy war is not justified by New Testament teachings, which is why the Crusades are an anomaly, the brief interruption of centuries of relentless Jihad against Christianity that began long before and continued well after.
The greatest crime of the Crusaders was the sacking of Jerusalem, in which at least 3,000 people were said to have been massacred. This number is dwarfed by the number of Jihad victims, from India to Constantinople, Africa and Narbonne, but Muslims have never apologized for their crimes and never will.
What is called 'sin and excess' by other religions, is what Islam refers to as duty willed by Allah.
The Crusades
Muslims love talking about the Crusades… and Christians love apologizing for them. To hear both parties tell the story, one would believe that Muslims were just peacefully minding their own business in lands that were legitimately Muslim when Christian armies decided to wage holy war and "kill millions.”
The Truth:
Every part of this myth is a lie. By the rules that Muslims claim for themselves, the Crusades were perfectly justified, and the excesses (though beneath Christian standards) pale in comparison with the historical treatment of conquered populations at the hands of Muslims.
Here are some quick facts…
The first Crusade began in 1095… 460 years after the first Christian city was overrun by Muslim armies, 457 years after Jerusalem was conquered by Muslim armies, 453 years after Egypt was taken by Muslim armies, 443 after Muslims first plundered Italy, 427 years after Muslim armies first laid siege to the Christian capital of Constantinople, 380 years after Spain was conquered by Muslim armies, 363 years after France was first attacked by Muslim armies, 249 years after the capital of the Christian world, Rome itself, was sacked by a Muslim army, and only after centuries of church burnings, killings, enslavement and forced conversions of Christians.
By the time the Crusades finally began, Muslim armies had conquered two-thirds of the Christian world.
Europe had been harassed by Muslims since the first few years following Muhammad’s death. As early as 652, Muhammad’s followers launched raids on the island of Sicily, waging a full-scale occupation 200 years later that lasted almost a century and was punctuated by massacres, such as that at the town of Castrogiovanni, in which 8,000 Christians were put to death. In 1084, ten years before the first crusade, Muslims staged another devastating Sicilian raid, burning churches in Reggio, enslaving monks and raping an abbey of nuns before carrying them into captivity.
In 1095, Byzantine Emperor, Alexius I Comneus began begging the pope in Rome for help in turning back the Muslim armies which were overrunning what is now Turkey, grabbing property as they went and turning churches into mosques. Several hundred thousand Christians had been killed in Anatolia alone in the decades following 1050 by Seljuk invaders interested in 'converting' the survivors to Islam.
Not only were Christians losing their lives in their own lands to the Muslim advance but pilgrims to the Holy Land from other parts of Europe were being harassed, kidnapped, molested, forcibly converted to Islam and occasionally murdered. (Compare this to Islam’s justification for slaughter on the basis of Muslims being denied access to the Meccan pilgrimage in Muhammad’s time).
The Crusaders only invaded lands that were Christian. They did not attack Saudi Arabia (other than a half-hearted expedition by a minor figure) or sack Mecca as the Muslims had done (and continued doing) to Italy and Constantinople. Their primary goal was the recapture of Jerusalem and the security of safe passage for pilgrims. The toppling of the Muslim empire was not on the agenda.
The period of Crusader “occupation” (of its own former land) was stretched tenuously over about 170 years, which is less than the Muslim occupation of Sicily and southern Italy alone - to say nothing of Spain and other lands that had never been Islamic before falling victim to Jihad. In fact, the Arab occupation of North Africa and Middle Eastern lands outside of Arabia is almost 1400 years old.
Despite popular depiction, the Crusades were not a titanic battle between Christianity and Islam. Although originally dispatched by papal decree, the "occupiers" quickly became part of the political and economic fabric of the Middle East without much regard for religious differences. Their arrival was largely accepted by the local population as simply another change in authority. Muslim radicals even lamented the fact that many of their co-religionists preferred to live under Frankish (Christian) rule than migrate to Muslim lands.
The Islamic world was split into warring factions, many of which allied themselves with the Frankish princes against each other at one time or another. This even included Saladin, the Kurdish warrior who is credited with eventually ousting the "Crusaders." Contrary to recent propaganda, however, Saladin had little interest in holy war until a rogue Frankish prince began disrupting his trade routes. Both before and after the taking of Jerusalem, his armies spent far more time and resources battling fellow Muslims.
For its part, the Byzantine (Eastern Christian) Empire preferred to have little to do with the Crusader kingdoms and went so far as to sign treaties with their Muslim rivals on occasion.
Another misconception is that the Crusader era was a time of constant war. In fact, very little of this overall period included significant hostilities. In response to Muslim expansion or aggression, there were only about 20 years of actual military campaigning, much of which was spent on organization and travel. (They were from 1098-1099, 1146-1148, 1188-1192, 1201-1204, 1218-1221, 1228-1229, and 1248-1250). By comparison, the Muslim Jihad against the island of Sicily alone lasted 75 grinding years.
Ironically, the Crusades are justified by the Quran itself, which encourages Holy War in order to "drive them out of the places from whence they drove you out" (2:191), even though the aim wasn't to expel Muslims from the Middle East, but more to bring an end to the molestation of pilgrims. Holy war is not justified by New Testament teachings, which is why the Crusades are an anomaly, the brief interruption of centuries of relentless Jihad against Christianity that began long before and continued well after.
The greatest crime of the Crusaders was the sacking of Jerusalem, in which at least 3,000 people were said to have been massacred. This number is dwarfed by the number of Jihad victims, from India to Constantinople, Africa and Narbonne, but Muslims have never apologized for their crimes and never will.
What is called 'sin and excess' by other religions, is what Islam refers to as duty willed by Allah.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Monday, August 1, 2011
Some Things You Probably Do Not Know About Islam
1. When Muhammad was in his fifties he married a girl (Aisha) who was just six years old. The marriage was consummated when she was nine. This is one of the reasons why child brides are still common in the Muslim world. On coming to power in Iran in 1979, the Ayatollah Khomeini reduced the age at which a girl could be married to 9 years, thus following the example of Muhammad.
2. Muhammad participated in the massacre of 800 Jewish men who had surrendered themselves following a famous battle. Trenches were dug and they were all beheaded and their bodies thrown into the trenches. The women and children were distributed among the victorious Muslims as slaves.
3. When a woman came to Muhammad confessing that she had conceived a child out of wedlock, he said that she should wean the child and then be stoned to death. This sentence was duly carried out. In 1994, a Sharia court in Nigeria passed the same judgement against Amina Lawal thus following Muhammad’s example exactly. Because Muhammad’s behaviour is seen by Muslims as sacrosanct these kinds of laws will be almost impossible to change.
4. Muhammad supported the use of slavery. He gave away slaves as gifts. He owned all kinds of slaves including males, females and Black slaves. He passed around slaves for the purpose of sexual pleasure for his companions — men who were his chief lieutenants. He stood by and prayed while others beat slaves. He shared the pleasure of forced sex with female slaves after conquest. He captured slaves and sold them to raise money for warfare.
5. Muhammad told his followers to raid caravans in order to boost the economy of his fledgling state in Medina. Bandits and pirates need look no further for justification.
6. Muhammad said, “Whoever insults a prophet, kill him”; this is one of the reasons why Muslims are so intolerant of anyone mocking Muhammad…and why anyone doing so is liable to get killed. It is also the reason why Islamic law requires the execution of anyone insulting Muhammad or Islam. A Christian woman in Pakistan is currently facing execution for “insulting Muhammad”.
7. Muhammad said, “Whoever leaves Islam, kill him”; this why it is so difficult for Muslims to leave Islam. Abdul Rahman was flown to safety in Italy from Afghanistan in 2004 because he was threatened with execution for converting to Christianity. Many others are less lucky. Islamic law requires that those leaving Islam be executed. Islamic countries are now campaigning to get criticism of Islam outlawed worldwide. They are pursuing this via the United Nations (and making good progress!).
8. Under Islamic law, the testimony of a woman is worth half that of a man. That means that under Islamic law a woman is half as believable as a man.
9. At the end of his life, Muhammad boasted that he had been “made victorious through terror”. Is it any wonder that many Muslims are engaged in terrorism?
10. He also declared that he had been ordered to make war on non-believers until the whole world was dominated by Islam.
11. It is stated 91 times in the Koran that Muslims must follow the example of Muhammad in every detail. Just ponder the implications of that.
These are a small sample of facts about Islam. It should be enough to show you that the founder of Islam was a brutal warlord and that his words and deeds have given Islam its brutal and intolerant character. It is difficult to see what good can come from the teachings of a man like Muhammad. Take a look at the world and you will see that many of the most oppressive, brutal and backward societies are strongholds of Islam. They have become like this by following the teachings of Muhammad.
Islam now has a foothold in your country and we are seeing increasing pressure to make our society more Islamic. Do you want to live in such a society?
If the answer is “no”, it is important that you find out more about these issues. You can do so at:
1. When Muhammad was in his fifties he married a girl (Aisha) who was just six years old. The marriage was consummated when she was nine. This is one of the reasons why child brides are still common in the Muslim world. On coming to power in Iran in 1979, the Ayatollah Khomeini reduced the age at which a girl could be married to 9 years, thus following the example of Muhammad.
2. Muhammad participated in the massacre of 800 Jewish men who had surrendered themselves following a famous battle. Trenches were dug and they were all beheaded and their bodies thrown into the trenches. The women and children were distributed among the victorious Muslims as slaves.
3. When a woman came to Muhammad confessing that she had conceived a child out of wedlock, he said that she should wean the child and then be stoned to death. This sentence was duly carried out. In 1994, a Sharia court in Nigeria passed the same judgement against Amina Lawal thus following Muhammad’s example exactly. Because Muhammad’s behaviour is seen by Muslims as sacrosanct these kinds of laws will be almost impossible to change.
4. Muhammad supported the use of slavery. He gave away slaves as gifts. He owned all kinds of slaves including males, females and Black slaves. He passed around slaves for the purpose of sexual pleasure for his companions — men who were his chief lieutenants. He stood by and prayed while others beat slaves. He shared the pleasure of forced sex with female slaves after conquest. He captured slaves and sold them to raise money for warfare.
5. Muhammad told his followers to raid caravans in order to boost the economy of his fledgling state in Medina. Bandits and pirates need look no further for justification.
6. Muhammad said, “Whoever insults a prophet, kill him”; this is one of the reasons why Muslims are so intolerant of anyone mocking Muhammad…and why anyone doing so is liable to get killed. It is also the reason why Islamic law requires the execution of anyone insulting Muhammad or Islam. A Christian woman in Pakistan is currently facing execution for “insulting Muhammad”.
7. Muhammad said, “Whoever leaves Islam, kill him”; this why it is so difficult for Muslims to leave Islam. Abdul Rahman was flown to safety in Italy from Afghanistan in 2004 because he was threatened with execution for converting to Christianity. Many others are less lucky. Islamic law requires that those leaving Islam be executed. Islamic countries are now campaigning to get criticism of Islam outlawed worldwide. They are pursuing this via the United Nations (and making good progress!).
8. Under Islamic law, the testimony of a woman is worth half that of a man. That means that under Islamic law a woman is half as believable as a man.
9. At the end of his life, Muhammad boasted that he had been “made victorious through terror”. Is it any wonder that many Muslims are engaged in terrorism?
10. He also declared that he had been ordered to make war on non-believers until the whole world was dominated by Islam.
11. It is stated 91 times in the Koran that Muslims must follow the example of Muhammad in every detail. Just ponder the implications of that.
These are a small sample of facts about Islam. It should be enough to show you that the founder of Islam was a brutal warlord and that his words and deeds have given Islam its brutal and intolerant character. It is difficult to see what good can come from the teachings of a man like Muhammad. Take a look at the world and you will see that many of the most oppressive, brutal and backward societies are strongholds of Islam. They have become like this by following the teachings of Muhammad.
Islam now has a foothold in your country and we are seeing increasing pressure to make our society more Islamic. Do you want to live in such a society?
If the answer is “no”, it is important that you find out more about these issues. You can do so at:
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