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He's making a list...checking it twice...
Have you been naughty or nice? Santa wants to know. Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi's Al Halal wal Haram fil Islam -- The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam -- can be a useful guide, fitting for holiday revellers wondering what Santa will bring them. Qaradawi's version of "Dating Do's and Don'ts," for example, is endlessly amusing. In Al Halal wal Haram fil Islam (it is in English, and can be obtained in the U.S. -- I bought a copy at a library sale, with someone's Arabic marginalia), for example, I discovered that a woman was forbidden from wearing her hair in the "shape of a camel's hump." I suppose that puts paid to those 1950s-style bouffant hairdos -- well, they were not flattering, were they?
It could be a party game: Halal and Haram. That is, nice (halal) or naughty (haram) -- permitted or forbidden according to Islamic law. One person reads out something, and everybody else has to guess whether it is Halal or Haram. Keep it simple at first, then progress to more difficult items. Great fun for the whole family, and very educational.
Okay, ready?
Drinking wine -- halal or haram? That was easy.
Wearing your hair in the shape of a camel's hump?
--halal or haram? (Hint: look elsewhere in this article).
Mutilating the body of an Infidel corpse -- halal or haram? (Hint: see elsewhere on this site).
Wishing Infidels Merry Christmas in a Muslim land -- halal or haram?
Wishing Infidels Merry Christmas in an Infidel land where, for the moment, you need some Infidel goodwill -- halal or haram?
Taking seriously the oath of citizenship to an Infidel nation-state, even if it means fighting against fellow Muslims -- halal or haram?
Beating your wife on the face so it shows -- halal or haram?
Entering into a "temporary marriage" with an Infidel woman for the purposes of sex while you are studying in the dar al-Harb, and jettisoning her after your studies are complete -- halal or haram?
Denying that Aisha really was six when Muhammad married her, and nine when he had intercourse with her, in order to protect Islam from Infidel critics -- halal or haram?
Insisting to Infidels that Islam does not condone violence and that the behavior of Muslims is simply a reaction to the aggressive attacks on them by non-Muslims -- halal or haram?
Wearing green and a leprechaun button on St. Patrick's Day, and smiling back if somone says "Top o' the mornin' to you" -- halal or haram?
Allowing your children to pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands..." -- halal or haram?
Allowing Hindus to be treated as full equals of Muslims in Bangladesh -- halal or haram?
In Pakistan -- halal or haram?
In Kashmir -- halal or haram?
In India -- halal or haram?
Allowing nurses renting a room in a Muslim house to sing, behind closed doors, Christmas carols --halal or haram?
And if the house is in Saudi Arabia -- halal or haram?
Having sexual intercourse with a goat, or a sheep, or a camel, killing it afterwards, and then serving the meat at your son's graduation party -- halal or haram?
At an office Christmas party?
To a next-door neighbor?
To people in the next town?
Christmas is coming up. Families will be together. Supply your own questions, and of course, on the back of the card, give the answer and the authority: whether it's Qaradawi himself or one of the accepted collections of hadith (Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim will do fine), or the Qur'an.
It's wholesome fun for the whole family (well, maybe not the whole family -- you might want to keep questions concerning Aisha, or the rape and subseequent roasting of goats, to the special "Adult Version" of the game, the one you keep in your bedroom for those special guests). Fun -- and educational too. Why, I can say without any fear of contradiction that if you have enough questions with answers, you can teach your loved ones, your party guests, even that special someone, more about Islam in an evening or two than they can possibly learn by reading all the books of John Esposito, Karen Armstrong, Michael Sells, or by taking any of the current courses on Islam offered at Harvard or Yale or many other famous universities.
This will not, I'm afraid, be coming out from Parker Bros. anytime soon. So you have a choice. You can do it yourself, with scissors and a nice Qur'an, and Internet access to the collections of hadith. If you do, I would recommend the kind of cardboard that comes with your gently-starched shirts. But use your own Yankee ingenuity.
If you don't wish to go to the bother, I will consult with Mr. Spencer and see if he would like to go into the business with me. By the way, I hereby trademark, copyright, trade-secret, patent, and every other damn thing under the sun claim eternal and exclusive rights to this brilliant idea, and if enough orders come in, well -- we'll manufacture them.
Perhaps Ayaan Hirsi Ali can be persuaded to do some commercials for us. We'll figure out a price -- but first we need to do some market research here.
Any interest?
Posted by Hugh at December 18, 2006 4:23 PM
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I want one....probably more to send out as gifts.
Posted by: Gotham![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/nav-commenters.gif)
at December 18, 2006 4:36 PM
Hugh, this is OT, but some in the MSM are getting it.
Lawrence Auster notes this blog's discussion of his idea that the West must separate itself from Islam, for its own self-defense. Earlier, I'd written that I more or less accept his first four premises:
1. Islam is a mortal threat to our civilization.
2. But we cannot destroy Islam.
3. Nor can we democratize Islam.
4. Nor can we assimilate Islam.
...but I can't get to the conclusion:
Therefore the only way to make ourselves safe from Islam is to separate ourselves from Islam.
I acknowledged in my earlier post that I can't reach that conclusion in part because I don't want it to be true -- and that if that's my prime reason, it's intellectually indefensible. Wanting something to be true, or untrue, doesn't make it so. I'm still thinking about it, because the premise of Auster's that I wrestle with is No. 4, which holds that Islam cannot be assimilated. I doubt it can, but I hope it can, because if not, I see no reason why Auster's conclusion is wrong.
At the Dallas Morning News the other day, our editorial board received a delegation from the local Muslim community. They came in large part to complain about editorial coverage of the community, which is to say they came mostly to complain about me. Which is fine: they accurately recognize that I don't believe their claims that they are completely innocent of radicalism, and are wholly victims of irrational fear of Muslims. Once again, I came away from a meeting with them even more convinced of my views in this regard. I recorded the entire meeting, and hope to have the time in the next week or so to post lengthy excerpts. In summation, though, the group was defensive, evasive, and wouldn't give a straight answer to simple questions. Read the rest here: http://www.beliefnet.com/blogs/crunchycon/2006/12/more-on-separationism.html
Posted by: Galloglass Warrior at December 18, 2006 4:38 PM
Just so I give proper attribution, that's Rod Dreher writing.
Posted by: Galloglass Warrior at December 18, 2006 4:39 PM
Oh, that would be a fantastic game. You could laugh for hours!
Only one question...what if the whole lady looks like a camel hump?
Posted by: citycat at December 18, 2006 4:45 PM
Halal, I must be going.
Get Little Richard to appear with Hirsi Ali
on that, a nice duet of "Haram-a-lama-ding dong"
What about eating chocolate to hasten your demise?
Apparently that's what Sheikh Rahman has been doing (diabetic you know) to bring about his martyrdom. Does that make him a Godivakazee? A Shaheedahershey?
at December 18, 2006 4:46 PM
"Woman wearing hair in shape of a camel's hump."
BAD (haram)
Why? Can cause sexual excitement because it may remind male (Moslem) voyeur (even if seen under hijab) of his trysts with such animals?
at December 18, 2006 4:51 PM
1) Are perfume and hand lotions halal or haram?
Women can wear perfume but not in front of non-mehram (that is, male strangers). They can wear it inside their house or with sisters only, but other than that they can't. The reason is that perfume/fragrance attracts, which is to be avoided. Shampoo is ok, creams are ok. Basically the issue is whether whatever you are using has an attractive fragrance - if it has, then don't wear it in public.
http://www.islamicaweb.com/forums/showthread.php?mode=hybrid&t=21597
2) Are Chocolate Chunk cookies halal or haram?
Chocolate Chunk Cookies contain Vanilla Extract, so it is not considered Halal.
http://www.muslimconsumergroup.com/Events.do?menu=Events&eventAction=eventdetail&eventId=245
3) Are Altoids or Mentos breath mints halal or haram?
According to our web site www.muslimconsumergroup.com New Food Products section, all Alatoids [sic]and Mentos products are not Halal. Here are the reasons. Cinnamon, Peppermint and winter green flavors of Altoids are made with gelatin, Natural flavor and colors which are not Halal. Only Fish gelatin and gelatin obtained from Zabiha cows are Halal. In order for natural and artificial flavors to be Halal they should be made from Halal raw materials and chemicals and should not contain alcohol (hidden ingredient) as a solvent in the flavors. They should be under Halal or Kosher certification. FD&C colors such as yellow no.5 or red 40 or artificial color are chemical dyes and Halal if they used as is in powder or granular forms but these forms are not soluble in liquid ingredients, so glycerin from pork or cow or vegetable fat or vegetable oil is added as solvents in a liquid forms to be mix with liquid ingredients. If these artificial colors are Halal or kosher certified it means that only the vegetable fat glycerin or vegetable oil was used as solvent or carrier in its liquid forms otherwise pork fat glycerin could have been used. Altoids are made in UK without Halal or Kosher supervision or no mention of "Suitable for Vegetarian". Altoids Strips are made with ethyl alcohol which is a Haram ingredient. Alcohol is mentioned under the ingredients statement.
Mentos are made in Brazil and they use Non Halal or Kosher certified emulsifiers, natural flavors and colors. No Halal or Kosher symbol is seen on the package. It is possible that these emulsifiers may be from pork fat.
We also bring the fact that some Ulema do not recommend a food product to be consume if alcohol was used in natural or artificial flavor as a solvent and some ulema allowed to consume those food products made from alcohol containing natural & artificial flavor and all other ingredients are Halal because they said that the alcohol is in minute amount and it does not intoxicate a person. But they will not assign a Halal status to food product if alcohol was used as a solvent in flavors. We leave it to Muslim to contact their Islamic scholar about it.
http://www.paklinks.com/gs/archive/index.php/t-143254.html
Posted by: remote_control at December 18, 2006 5:03 PM
What is your IQ (Islamism Quotent)?
My answers off the top of my head:
Drinking wine . . . -- haram That was easy.
Wearing your hair . . . haram
Mutilating the body . . . - halal
Wishing Infidels Merry Christmas . . . haram
Wishing Infidels Merry Christmas . . . goodwill -- halal
Taking seriously the oath of citizenship. . . haram
Beating your wife . . . haram
Entering into a "temporary marriage" . . .- halal
Denying that Aisha really was six . . .- halal
Insisting to Infidels that Islam does not condone violence . . . halal
Wearing green and a leprechaun button . . .- haram
Allowing your children to pledge allegiance . . .-- haram
Allowing Hindus to be treated as full equals of Muslims in Bangladesh . . .-- haram
In Pakistan . . . -- haram
In Kashmir . . .-- haram
In India . . .-haram
Allowing nurses to sing Christmas carols . . .--halal
And if the house is in Saudi Arabia . . . haram
Having sexual intercourse with a goat . . . That's a tough one. Haram?
At an office Christmas party . . . halal
To a next-door neighbor . . . halal
To people in the next town . . . halal
at December 18, 2006 5:05 PM
Concerning pictures, are any of the following types of pictures halal (when creating newsletters or anything):
1. Pictures of just a hand only?
Yes.
2. Pictures of objects that are not people but have eyes and mouth such as happy face or a computer picture with eyes or a car with eyes and mouth?
No.
3. Things that are not real such as a picture of "Mud Man" if it does not resemble a man or animate object?
No.
It is not permissible to draw the head of any object real or fictitious, that has human or animal resemblance.
...There are many hadiths on this. A good reference that we recall is "Marriage Ettiquette in Islam" by al-Albani. For example, the Prophet SAWS saw pictures drawn on a curtain, and he said to Aishah, "Those who made these pictures will be tortured on the day of resurrection. They will be told to give life to what they made, but they won't be able to." And he said,"The angels do not enter into a house (room) where there is a picture."
http://www.qss.org/questions/data/Fundamentals_Haraam.html
at December 18, 2006 5:18 PM
Remote_control, your post reminded me of all those opinions I have read at those Islamic websites. The questions concering sex are the most interesting and funny.
Can I touch my wife's . . . ? Can my wife touch . . . ? Can we do it this way, that way, or any way? When can we do it? Where can we do it? Can we do it standing, sitting, and on and on . . .
Islam is the most sexually repressive idea in the Milky Way Galaxy.
Posted by: Pelayo at December 18, 2006 5:24 PM
Hugh said
Any interest?
Freakin' brilliant! Please, please patent this quickly!
I just listened to Yusuf Islam (nee Cat Stevens, well actually nee something else but Cat Stevens was in there somewhere) on NPR. Full of softly spoken platitudes about Islam, dripping with taqiyya, unquestioned by the unquestioning host. "Jesus is a prophet in Islam too!" and the rest. And in a user-submitted question along the lines of "How badly does it make you feel to live amongst us evil racist infidels?", he (Yusuf Islam) offered that our racism comes out of a lack of knowledge of Islam, that's why we think there's some connection between the ubiquitous Muslims-killing-in-the-name-of-Islam, and Islam.
I agree with him, we all need to learn much more about Islam. This would be an excellent pedagogical device, every junior high school (or middle school, or whatever they're called these days) should have several. Please do this!
Posted by: special_guest at December 18, 2006 5:30 PM
When I started this post I was going to participate in the game, then I realized, anything I can possibly think of is no doubt, haram.
Posted by: tgusa at December 18, 2006 5:34 PM
"Halal or Haram" the board game fashioned after Monopoly; the object is to conquer enough territory to make the world an Islamic Majority.
Players advance by correctly answering; Halal or Haram? as they land on "territories" around the board. Each correct answer is rewarded a suicide bomb-belt which are collected until you have enough for a "militia" which will earn you the territory immediately.
2 consecutive incorrect answers will send the player to "CAIR Corner" where they draw a "deception" card and try to convince their opponent that Islam is Peaceful.
Pitfalls such as "Guantanamo Gulag" and "Unmanned Drone with Hellfire missle" are set up around the board to hinder the player's advance towards victory.
Posted by: Xero G at December 18, 2006 5:35 PM
Hey guys, a litle off topic but I thought I share this story with you, anyhow.
During a United Nations meeting in Geneva on Friday, Dr. Jamal Al-Karbouli, the vice president of the Iraqi Red Crescent Society, had told a gathering of reporters that “the main problem we are facing is the American forces more than the other forces.
The American military, he said, had been consisitently using overly aggressive tactics — what he even referred to as “attacks” — in searching the agency’s headquarters for insurgents. But the insurgents themselves had never given the Red Crescent any trouble.
“The insurgents, they are Iraqis, a lot of them are Iraqis, and they respect the Iraqis,” he told reporters. “And they respect our (the Red Crescent’s) identity, which is neutrality.”
THE HEADLINES THE NEXT DAY
Mass abductions Aid workers seized in Baghdad
Up to 25 people have been abducted from an Iraqi Red Crescent office in Baghdad
YOU GOT LOVE THE DOUBLE TALK
Posted by: Cyberray at December 18, 2006 5:42 PM
If You want to see an extremely funny satire and you haven't seen it yet. 12 Muslims
http://cyberray-rays.blogspot.com/2006/12/from-funny-to-obnoxious.html#links
Merry X-mas everyone, Stay Safe
Posted by: Cyberray at December 18, 2006 5:46 PM
Cyberray, it would be tragic if Dr. Jamal Al-Karbouli was one of those who were kidnapped by the brave and noble insurgents. But if he gave a speech at the UN in the land of the infidels on Friday, I guess he was probably safe.
Posted by: special_guest at December 18, 2006 5:55 PM
geezus...
That cat stevens guy makes me sick...i had to listen to him when i was a muslim convert...and that Kahlid yasin guy too...hey folks...i was a muslim convert for a while and there was this young bangladehis guy, very devout with the beard and all, here in the USA at my job...and this guy would give me all this radical stuff to read and listen too...especially this Khalis Yasin wanna be malcolm X guy...anyway...if any of you have ever heard this Khalid guy he has the most horrible reasoning...i mean, his target audience is usually the down and out and uneducated...not that i am brilliant, i do have degree but, i dont know how anyone with intelligence would buy his messages...anyway..geez...and this bangladeshi guy, well...i offer him a CD of Jojuuka musicians to listen to, from Morrocco and I tell him that they are Muslims...he says that he does not listen to music...whatever...i listen to your stuff listen to mine for crying out loud...shoot!!!
Posted by: jihadlove at December 18, 2006 5:55 PM
How about these gems from Islamic jurisprudence : "If a person has sexual intercourse with a woman and the male organ enters either of the private parts of the woman up to the point of circumcision or more, both of them enter janabat, regardless of whether they are adults or minors and whether ejaculation takes place or not.
"If a person doubts whether or not his penis penetrated up to the point of circumcision, ghusl [bathing] will not become obligatory on him.
"If (God forbid!) a person has sexual intercourse with an animal and ejaculates, ghusl alone will be sufficient for him, and if he does not ejaculate and he was with wudhu [ritual ablution] at the time of committing the unnatural act, even then ghusl will be sufficient for him. However, if he was not with wudhu at that time, the obligatory precaution is that he should do ghusl and also perform wudhu. And the same orders apply if one commits sodomy.
"If movement of seminal fluid is felt but not emitted, or if a person doubts whether or not semen has been ejaculated, ghusl will not be obligatory upon him.
"It is obligatory to conceal one's private parts in the toilet and at all times from adult persons, even if they are one's near relatives (like mother, sister etc.)
"It is not necessary for a person to conceal the private parts with any definite thing, it is sufficient, if, for example, he conceals them with his hand.
"While using the toilet for relieving oneself, the front or the back part of one's body should not face the holy Ka'bah [shrine in the Great Mosque, Mecca.]
"If a person sits in the toilet with the front part of his body or the back facing the Qibla [direction towards the Ka'bah] , but turns the private parts away from that direction, it will not be enough. Similarly, when the front part of the body or the back does not face Qibla, as a precaution, he should not allow the private parts to face that direction.
# "In the following three cases, the anus can be made pak [clean] with water alone: If another najasat [uncleanliness], like blood, appears along with the faeces.
# If an external najasat reaches the anus.
# If more than usual najasat spreads around the anus.
"In the cases other than those mentioned above, the anus can be made pak either by water or by using cloth, or stone etc, although it is always better to wash it with water.
"If the anus is washed with water, one should ensure that no trace of faeces is left on it. However, there is no harm if color and smell remain. And if it is washed thoroughly in the first instance, leaving no particle of stool, then it is not necessary to wash it again."
Posted by: Galloglass Warrior at December 18, 2006 5:57 PM
Pelayo said
Islam is the most sexually repressive idea in the Milky Way Galaxy.
In some ways that is true, but if you've got a hankerin' for 9-year old girls, or boys, or goats, or slave-women, then Islam starts to look very permissive and open-minded.
Posted by: special_guest at December 18, 2006 6:02 PM
"If the anus is washed with water, one should ensure that no trace of faeces is left on it. However, there is no harm if color and smell remain. And if it is washed thoroughly in the first instance, leaving no particle of stool, then it is not necessary to wash it again."
THIS IS GROSS>>>how do you determine if the smell remains...? i think i can guess but since Izlam is so damn controling there probably a method for this too...!
at December 18, 2006 6:04 PM
Special_guest, Yeah I forgot about the goats, the nine year old girls, little boys, and the slaves.
I'll try again to forget them.
Posted by: Pelayo at December 18, 2006 6:14 PM
I sometimes wonder if they came from Mars. Observe the condition of the planet. It has their handwriting all over it.
All these instructions on how to use ones penis. Who’s in charge of monitoring this? Are there police specifically for that kind of offence? I think it is just a 7th century sex club gone global.
at December 18, 2006 6:22 PM
Rectal Pak....lol!!!
Posted by: jihadlove at December 18, 2006 6:31 PM
Qaradawi's Al Halal wal Haram fil Islam -- "The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam"
Yeah, I think I saw a copy of that somewhere. The book was about two feet thick. Goats? See chapter 30. Little girls and boys I think is in chapter 119.
at December 18, 2006 6:37 PM
No humor in Islam? Hugh has debunked that myth.
By the way, if this game is actually manufactured may I suggest a picture of a smiling Satan Khomeini on the box? People will want to buy it for that reason alone-I've never seen such a rare picture.
Posted by: ISLAMSFORLOSERS at December 18, 2006 7:52 PM
Hugh
Good stuff. The reason such a "game" is important is Americans need to be educated about the threat we face.
I have been meeting with groups of Americans to discuss my recent travels to the Middle East and North Africa and the degree of ignorance regarding the Muslim world is frightening. I recently was at a dinner party with highly educated professionals and I left dismayed about their views of what is going on in the world. It seems that many of us look at Muslims as people with the same intentions and life-goals we have.
Which brings me to another point. We are not getting honesty from President Bush and the Congress. They dance around the question about the intentions of the Islamic world. What a shame. We will pay a price for our ignorance.
Let the games begin!
Posted by: gordo at December 18, 2006 7:55 PM
Enough with the Precious Bodily Fluids already,
and the Anus and Andy.
I have a Joujouka record somewhere, j.love, "Ah Brian Jones, Joujouka very stoned" goes one of the songs. Very Haram.
Posted by: Nick Danger at December 18, 2006 8:00 PM
Galloglass Warrior, if I read that correctly, if one has intercourse with a goat, or has anal sex, and feels the movement of seminal fluid, but is not positive that any seminal fluid was emitted, then no bathing is necessary.
In a word, "eeeeewwwwwww". Double, triple "eeeeewwwwww".
Posted by: special_guest at December 18, 2006 8:37 PM
Oooo....Sounds like a GREAT drinking game...
Where's my bottle of whiskey?
Posted by: Stanley at December 18, 2006 8:55 PM
Jews as Depicted in the Qur’an
Dear Sheikh! As-Salam `Alaykum. What, according to the Qur’an, are the main characteristics and qualities of Jews?
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All thanks and praise are due to Allah and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Dear questioner, we are really pleased to have your question and we pray to Allah to make our humble efforts, exerted solely for His Sake, come up to your expectation.
As regards the question you posed, the following is the fatwa issued by Sheikh `Atiyyah Saqr, former Head of Al-Azhar Fatwa Committee, in which he states the following:
“The Qur’an has specified a considerable deal of its verses to talking about Jews, their personal qualities and characteristics. The Qur’anic description of Jews is quite impartial; praising them in some occasions where they deserve praise and condemning them in other occasions where they practice blameworthy acts. Yet, the latter occasions outnumbered the former, due to their bad qualities and the heinous acts they used to commit.
The Qur’an praises them on the verse that reads: “ And verily We gave the Children of Israel the Scripture and the Command and the Prophethood, and provided them with good things and favored them above (all) peoples.” (Al-Jathiyah:16) i.e. the peoples of their time.
Among the bad qualities they were characterized with are the following:
1. They used to fabricate things and falsely ascribe them to Allah. Allah Almighty says: “ That is because they say: We have no duty to the Gentiles. They speak a lie concerning Allah knowingly.” (Al-`Imran:75) Also: “The Jews say: Allah’s hand is fettered. Their hands are fettered and they are accursed for saying so. Nay, but both His hands are spread out wide in bounty. He bestoweth as He will.” (Al-Ma`idah:64)
In another verse Almighty Allah says: “Verily Allah heard the saying of those who said, (when asked for contributions to the war): “Allah, forsooth, is poor, and we are rich! We shall record their saying with their slaying of the Prophets wrongfully and We shall say: Taste ye the punishment of burning!” (Al-`Imran:181)
2. They love to listen to lies. Concerning this Allah says: “and of the Jews: listeners for the sake of falsehood, listeners on behalf of other folk” (Al-Ma’idah: 41)
3. Disobeying Almighty Allah and never observing His commands. Allah says: “And because of their breaking their covenant, We have cursed them and made hard their hearts.” (Al-Ma’idah: 13)
4. Disputing and quarreling. This is clear in the verse that reads: “Their Prophet said unto them: Lo! Allah hath raised up Saul to be a king for you. They said: How can he have kingdom over us when we are more deserving of the kingdom than he is, since he hath not been given wealth enough?” (Al-Baqarah: 247)
5. Hiding the truth and standing for misleading. This can be understood from the verse that reads: “…distort the Scripture with their tongues, that ye may think that what they say is from the Scripture, when it is not from the Scripture.” (Al-`Imran: 78)
6. Staging rebellion against the Prophets and rejecting their guidance. This is clear in the verse: “And when ye said: O Moses! We will not believe in thee till we see Allah plainly.” (Al-Baqarah: 55)
7. Hypocrisy. In a verse, we read: “And when they fall in with those who believe, they say: We believe; but when they go apart to their devils they declare: Lo! we are with you; verily we did but mock.” (Al-Baqarah: 14) In another verse, we read: “Enjoin ye righteousness upon mankind while ye yourselves forget (to practice it)? And ye are readers of the Scripture! Have ye then no sense?” (Al-Baqarah: 44)
8. Giving preference to their own interests over the rulings of religion and the dictates of truth. Allah says: “…when there cometh unto you a messenger (from Allah) with that which ye yourselves desire not, ye grow arrogant, and some ye disbelieve and some ye slay?” (Al-Baqarah: 87)
9. Wishing evil for people and trying to mislead them. This is clear in the verse that reads: “Many of the People of the Scripture long to make you disbelievers after your belief, through envy on their own account, after the truth hath become manifest unto them.” (Al-Baqarah: 109)
10. They feel pain to see others in happiness and are gleeful when others are afflicted with a calamity. This is clear in the verse that reads: “If a lucky chance befall you, it is evil unto them, and if disaster strike you they rejoice thereat.” (Al-`Imran:120)
11. They are known of their arrogance and haughtiness. They claimed to be the sons and of Allah and His beloved ones. Allah tells us about this in the verse that reads: “The Jews and Christians say: We are sons of Allah and His loved ones.” (Al-Ma’idah: 18)
12. Utilitarianism and opportunism are among their innate traits. This is clear in the verse that reads: “And of their taking usury when they were forbidden it, and of their devouring people’s wealth by false pretences.” (An-Nisa’: 161)
13. Their impoliteness and indecent way of speech is beyond description. Referring to this, the Qur’anic verse reads: “Some of those who are Jews change words from their context and say: “We hear and disobey; hear thou as one who heareth not” and “Listen to us!” distorting with their tongues and slandering religion. If they had said: “We hear and we obey; hear thou, and look at us” it had been better for them, and more upright. But Allah hath cursed them for their disbelief, so they believe not, save a few.” (An-Nisa’:46)
14. It is easy for them to slay people and kill innocents. Nothing in the world is dear to their hearts than shedding blood and murdering human beings. They never give up this trait even with the Messengers and the Prophets. Allah says: “…and slew the prophets wrongfully.” (Al-Baqarah: 61)
15. They are merciless and heartless. In this meaning, the Qur’anic verse explains: “Then, even after that, your hearts were hardened and became as rocks, or worse than rocks, for hardness.” (Al-Baqarah: 74)
16. They never keep their promises or fulfill their words. Almighty Allah says: “Is it ever so that when ye make a covenant a party of you set it aside? The truth is, most of them believe not.” (Al-Baqarah: 100)
17. They rush hurriedly to sins and compete in transgression. Allah says: “They restrained not one another from the wickedness they did. Verily evil was that they used to do!” (Al-MA’idah:79)
18. Cowardice and their love for this worldly life are their undisputable traits. To this, the Qur’an refers when saying: “Ye are more awful as a fear in their bosoms than Allah. That is because they are a folk who understand not. They will not fight against you in a body save in fortified villages or from behind walls. Their adversity among themselves is very great. Ye think of them as a whole whereas their hearts are divers.” (Al-Hashr:13-14) Allah Almighty also says: “And thou wilt find them greediest of mankind for life and (greedier) than the idolaters.” (Al-Baqarah:96)
19. Miserliness runs deep in their hearts. Describing this, the Qur’an states: “Or have they even a share in the Sovereignty? Then in that case, they would not give mankind even the speck on a date stone.” (An-Nisa’:53)
20. Distorting Divine Revelation and Allah’s Sacred Books. Allah says in this regard: “Therefore woe be unto those who write the Scripture with their hands anthem say, “This is from Allah,” that they may purchase a small gain therewith. Woe unto them for that their hands have written, and woe unto them for that they earn thereby.” (Al-Baqara: 79)
After this clear explanation, we would like to note that these are but some of the most famous traits of the Jews as described in the Qur’an. They have revolted against the Divine ordinances, distorted what has been revealed to them and invented new teachings which, they claimed, were much more better than what has been recorded in the Torah. It was for these traits that they found no warm reception in all countries where they tried to reside. Rather, they would either be driven out or live in isolation. It was Almighty Allah who placed on them His Wrath and made them den of humiliation due to their transgression. Almighty Allah told us that He’d send to them people who’d pour on them rain of severe punishment that would last till the Day of Resurrection. All this gives us glad tidings of the coming victory of Muslims over them once Muslims stick to strong faith and belief in Allah and adopt the modern means of technology.”
from Islam online
Gee. I can't imagine why anybody would be "Islamophobic".
Posted by: citycat at December 18, 2006 8:58 PM
Well if you need enough cards to make a game, then I'll add a couple:
Vanilla extract: Halal or haram?
(Answer: haram, as vanilla extract contains alcohol)
Passing gas during salat?: Halal or haram?
(Answer: Neither. Actually, that was a trick question. Not everything is halal or haram. But if a healthy person passes gas during salat, then they should redo their wudu. http://www.pakistanlink.com/religion/2001/0202.html
Touching one's nipple while doing a breast exam?: Halal or haram?
(Answer: I have no friggin idea. I just made that one up out of the blue but no doubt some Muslim out there in the world who is incapable of putting one foot in front of the other without first seeking advice on how to properly do so, has surely asked the question, and some power hungry, control freak Islamic cleric somewhere has probably provided some arbitrary answer to satisfy her.)
Posted by: Caroline at December 18, 2006 9:12 PM
I sometimes wonder if they came from Mars. Observe the condition of the planet. It has their handwriting all over it.
-posted by: tgusa at December 18, 2006 06:22 PM
I doubt if they came from Mars—scientists debate whether life is possible there. Pluto is named after the god of the underworld, is barren and no one thinks there is life there—the perfect Islamic homeworld...
—————————
Great idea for a game. Just don't play it at a dinner party...
Howabout a SIMs-type game where you can be beaten, stoned, have limbs amputated or be beheaded if you step out of bounds? How many hours or days would you survive? (as I sip my gin--oops)
Posted by: St. David, King of Georgia at December 18, 2006 9:25 PM
Freakin' brilliant! Please, please patent this quickly! -Special_Guest
Probably better to get a trademark. I just checked (www.uspto.gov) and 'Halal and Haram' is open. For $275 it's first come, first serve.
Posted by: limes at December 18, 2006 9:48 PM
The idea of a game is interesting. It could be a Jihad-Monopoly where Muslims players buy politicians, win points on Dhimmi Place, win a get out of responsibilty card on Multicultural Avenue, use the card when flying US Air, just after bombing the World Trade Center. Part of the game could have an area set aside for Dhimmis and could consist of going through totalitarian airports where Muslims win a pass to a ritual bowing room and get cards blaming the Dhimmis for the conditions at airports that Muslims created in the first place-and thus win points equal to bombing the World Trade Center.
There could be points won for exploding on a bus and killing Jews that cause a Muslim to jump several places and go to the 72 Virgin Mansion on Playboy Place. One of the boxes on Jihad-Monopoly could be Homeland Security Place where the FBI makes players loose two turns before they get back in the game. The pieces on the board do not have to be little cars, or a caboose, but Yasser Arafat and OBL and Ibrahim Hopper. The objective of the game is to kill as many Unbelievers (triple points for killing Jewish people)as possible and to impose Sharia law on the world.
I think Hugh and Robert should think-up a Monopoly style game and call it Jihad. It could be fun and educational too. I like the idea of a game.
Posted by: Frank at December 18, 2006 9:54 PM
limes said
Probably better to get a trademark
I'm no expert, but I think they need both. A trademark for the name ('Haram or Halal'), and a patent for a description of how the game works.
This is a seriously good idea. A board game should be inexpensive to manufacture.
Posted by: special_guest at December 18, 2006 10:17 PM
I think the idea of a Jihad game on the lines of monopoly-with bombings, dhimmis, get out of responsibility cards and all that might be an interesting game idea. The objective of the game would be to win all the places on the world board and establish Jihad-Monopoly and Sharia law-to drive everybody else off the board by killing them or making them convert.
Ideas from Jihadwatch folks could be used to develop the game and the game could make us all rich. Even Muslims should be encouraged to contribute ideas and if they are good ideas then they too become part of the creators of the game and we might all make a buck together.
Posted by: Frank at December 18, 2006 10:18 PM
The halal or haram game as a wheel-of-fortune type game would be very easy to put together. The idea of a game is very good idea.
Posted by: Frank at December 18, 2006 10:30 PM
As a courtesy to Hugh; probably appropriate to give him first shot. A trademark application is quick and easy to file. www.uspto.gov walks you through it.
Disclosure documents can be filed for patents for, I think $12. The patent application itself is a couple of hundred bucks if you do it yourself. I don't know the angle one would take, probably 'religion education through flash cards' or something like that.
I consider this fair game (pun intended) after 1200 EST tomorrow.
at December 18, 2006 10:43 PM
What else can you expect from them.
Take the whole 72 virgin deal.
Can one vision the Horror Show, Virgin number 60 on up must face. The biological effects of loosing ones Virginity and all.
If Muslim Paradise runs on a 24 Hr. cycle. Then a Virgin every 20 minutes doesn't leave much time for room service.
I never knew a Camels behind was so attractive as to prohibit Women from wearing their hair that way.
I bet All 72 Virgins do!
Ya learn something new everyday. Just in time for the Christmas Cocktail Season.
Posted by: flowerknife_us at December 18, 2006 11:03 PM
The idea of a halal/haram/jihad game is absolutely inspired! The one thing those puritanical, humorless Islamist prigs can't abide is Westerners laughing at them. It's pure torture to those shame-culture freaks. Where do I sign up? I'd like to pre-order 10 or 15 copies of the game for friends and family. Maybe in time for the Christmas/Crusader holiday next year?
Posted by: kaffirgal at December 18, 2006 11:20 PM
This is what progressives and CAIR are talking about when they speak truth to power and expose how the evil United States government uses torture against innocent Islamic scholars who stand up to the Crusaders.
Some evil federal agent has humiliated blind, helpless Sheikh Yusuf by putting an overtly Christian religious symbol – a Santa Claus hat for Allah’s sake! – on him and snapping a photo. This by itself is sufficient evidence to haul the entire ChimpyBushCheneyHalibutonHitler administration in front of the World Court and find them guilty of crimes against humanity.
at December 18, 2006 11:35 PM
"By the way, I hereby trademark, copyright, trade-secret, patent, and every other damn thing under the sun claim eternal and exclusive rights to this brilliant idea..."
-- from my article above
Gee, some people can't take a hint. I thought my declaration above made it clear that I was announcing my intention to claim copyright in this idea. If I remember Title 17 U.S.C. correctly, and it's been a while, the new (circa 1978) Federal statute gave some copyright protection to those who, without formally obtaining a copyright, published their work and perhaps, as well, gave some indication that they were copyrighting it (or perhaps even that was unnecessary).
You know, something like this:
"The game of Haram-and-Halal" (copyright 2006) or "The game of Halal-and-Haram" (copyright 2006) or any number of variations.
But what do I know?
Possibly I will see my old friends Mr. Fish and Mr. Richardson tomorrow. Meanwhile, kindly back off and give me a chance to make something of my self. It's about time, don't you think? Do you think I enjoy making these intermittent eleemosynary pleas? I don't.
And what about my heirs and assigns, who have put up with me all these years? Don't they deserve something?
A little decency. Please.
Posted by: Hugh at December 18, 2006 11:35 PM
1) Are perfume and hand lotions halal or haram?
Women can wear perfume but not in front of non-mehram (that is, male strangers). They can wear it inside their house or with sisters only, but other than that they can't. The reason is that perfume/fragrance attracts, which is to be avoided. Shampoo is ok, creams are ok. Basically the issue is whether whatever you are using has an attractive fragrance - if it has, then don't wear it in public.
Posted by: remote_control at December 18, 2006 05:03 PM
It is not OK when those parfumes, deos and lotions contain alcohol.
Merry Christmas everyone
Just want to let you know where all your donation for the tsunami victims have gone.
Indonesia - Aceh
http://civoc.com/society/?p=39
at December 18, 2006 11:36 PM
Hugh, somehow I don't think you and the Fitzgerald clan are starving. Give us Jihad Watchers some scraps from your largesse. For those of you who didn't get your fill of najasat, here's more:
THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF NAJASAT : - Qaba (ghaliz) najasat: All things that necessitate an ablution or ghusl when they issue from the human body, flayed but not tanned skin, flesh, excrement and urine of those animals whose flesh cannot be eaten [except a bat] and of their young; excrement, urine and mouthful vomited matter of a sucking baby; blood of man and of all animals; wine, carrion, pork, excrement of domestic fowls, excrement of pack animals and sheep and goats are ghaliz, that is, qaba. blood is qaba najasat in all the four Madhhabs. Semen, mazy and the turbid white, thick liquid called wadi that issues after urination are qaba najasat in the Hanafi and Maliki Madhhabs. Only semen is clean is Shafi'i, and all three of them are clean in Hanbali.
A cat's urine, only on one's clothes; a martyr's blood, as long as it remains on him; blood that exists in and does not flow out of edible meat, livers, hearts and spleens; blood of fish; excrement and blood of lice, fleas and bed-bugs are all clean. In other words, it is said (by scholars) that namaz can be performed even when one is smeared with a great deal of the above. All intoxicant drinks, like wine, are qaba najasat. The words of those who say that they are khafif (light) najasat are daif (weak). It is written in Halabi al-Kabir, Maraq-il- falah and in the Turkish Nimat-i Islam that raki (spirit) is najasat-i ghaliza.
2 - Khafif najasat: When one-fourth of a limb or a fourth of one's clothes is smeared with khafif najasat, it does not negatively affect the namaz. The urine of edible quadruped animals and the excrement of those birds whose flesh is not edible are khafif. The excrement of such edible fowls as pigeons and sparrows is clean. Even if a small amount of a mouse's excrement or its urine falls into water or oil, although it has been forgiven, it will be better to clean it. If a small quantity of it gets mixed with wheat and becomes flour, it has been forgiven. With respect to cleaning and making najs when dropped into a liquid, there is no difference between qaba najasat and khafif najasat.
Drops of urine and blood splashing on one's clothes equalling the point of a pin, drops of mud splashing on one in the streets, steams consisting of najasat, gases coming on one after they have touched some najasat, wind or steam that is formed in stables and baths, and drops that are formed on walls are all excusable when they touch one's clothes or wet skin. Because it is difficult to avoid them, they have been deemed darurat. But liquid obtained from distilled najasat is najs. For there is no inevitability in using it. For this reason, raki and spirit (alcohol) are qaba najasat and, like wine, it is haram to drink them. [The fact that raki and spirit are najs and haram is written in Maraq-il-falah and in its Tahtawi annotation. Then when performing namaz, the alcoholic drinks and medicines, such as lotion, spirit and tincture of iodine, which have been used without darurat, must be cleaned from one's clothes and skin. Please see chapter 42 in the Second Part of the Turkish original.] food cooked on a spirit-cooker does not become najs....
THESE IDIOCIES GO ON AD INFINITUM...EVERY WAKING MOMENT IS REGULATED, PRESCRIBED, AND PROSCRIBED FOR THE MAHOMETANS. THIS IS VERILY A CULT OF EPIC PROPORTIONS.
at December 19, 2006 12:01 AM
Good luck with your project Hugh.
This one may make you re-think your premise of 'mal-distribution' of income.
Regards;
Posted by: limes at December 19, 2006 12:03 AM
But, as an incentive to make this happen, I announce my intent to file paperwork if nobody else has by 14JAN07. And, as I've watched spelling being edited after the fact on this site, you're on notice that I've saved this thread. Go make some money.
Posted by: limes at December 19, 2006 12:26 AM
kaffirgal, they don't know what humor is.
at December 19, 2006 12:29 AM
Are the stools of the following animals permissible to eat?
a. Donkey
b. Camel
c. Pig
d. Sheep
For a hint, refer to the Fiqh below.
Fiqh-ul Sunnah. Version 1.05 - By Sayyid Saabiq
Volume 1 >> Fiqh 1.11 a: The urine and stools of animals that are permissible to eat
Both of these are considered impure. Ibn Mas'ud related that the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace, went to answer the call of nature. He asked 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud to bring three stones. 'Abdullah said, "I could not find three stones, so I found two stones and animal dung and brought them to him. He took the two stones and threw away the dung saying, 'It is impure."'
The hadith is related by al-Bukhari, Ibn Majah, and Ibn Khuzaimah. In one narration it states, "It is impure. It is the stool of a donkey." A little amount of it is pardoned though, as it is very difficult to completely protect one's self from it. Al-Waleed ibn Muslim says, "I said to al-Auza'i, 'What about the urine of animals whose meat is not eaten, like the mule, donkey and horse?' He said that they used to come into contact with these during their battles, and that they did not wash it off their bodies or clothes. As for the urine and stools of animals whose meat is permissible, Malik, Ahmad and a group of the Shaifiyyah says that it is pure. Commenting on the subject, Ibn Taimiyyah says, "None of the companions held that it is impure. In fact, the statement that it is impure is of recent origin and not from the early generations of the companions."
Said Anas, "A group of people from the tribes of Ukul or 'Uraina came to Madinah and became ill in their stomach. The Prophet ordered them to get a milking she-camel and drink a mixture of its milk and urine." This hadith is related by Ahmad, al-Bukhari and Muslim and points to a camel's urine as being pure. Therefore, by analogy, other permissible animals' urine may also be considered pure. Says Ibn al-Munzhir, "Those who claim that that was permissible only for those people are incorrect. Specification is only confirmed by some specific proof." He also says, "The scholars permit, without any objection, the sale of sheep's stools and the use of camel's urine in their medicine, both in the past and in the present, again without any objection. This shows that they are considered pure." Says ash-Shaukani, "Apparently, the urine and stools of every living animal permissible to eat is pure." There is nothing to prove otherwise.
at December 19, 2006 12:48 AM
Damn the formatting! I'll be more careful.
The chapter prior to the above happens to be on... sperm!
Fiqh-ul Sunnah. Version 1.05 - By Sayyid SaabiqWonder whether any other religious books have such material. Posted by: Infidel Pride
Volume 1 >> Fiqh 1.11: Sperm, Al-Mani
Some scholars say that sperm is impure, but apparently it is pure, for it is only recommended to wash it off if it is still wet, and to scratch it off if it is dry. Said 'Aishah, "I used to scratch the sperm off the Messenger of Allah's clothes if it was dry, and wash it off if it was still wet." (This is related by ad-Daraqutni, Abu 'Awanah and al-Bazzar). It is also related that Ibn 'Abbas said, "I asked the Messenger of Allah about sperm on clothes. He said, 'It is the same as mucus and spittle. It is sufficient to rub the area with a rag or cloth."'
The hadith was related by ad-Daraqutni, al-Baihaqi and atTahawi. There is a difference in the narration over whether it should be in marfu'or mauqoof form.
at December 19, 2006 12:52 AM
Infidel Pride quoted
'Abdullah said, "I could not find three stones, so I found two stones and animal dung and brought them to him. He took the two stones and threw away the dung saying, 'It is impure."'
The Three Stooges never reached this level of comedy.
Posted by: special_guest at December 19, 2006 1:10 AM
Here's another one:
- Monica Lewinsky's infamous blue dress
(see Infidel Pride above for answer)
Posted by: special_guest at December 19, 2006 1:14 AM
IP: None come to mind, but that's probably because it's the only major religion created out of whole cloth by a raping, pillaging, ignorant, lying, misogynistic, sex-obsessed pedophile.
Posted by: Galloglass Warrior at December 19, 2006 1:16 AM
Actually, I'm mistaken. It wasn't made from whole cloth. It was shamelessly stolen tidbits of Gnostic Christianity, Judaism, and various pagan and eastern religions.
Posted by: Galloglass Warrior at December 19, 2006 1:18 AM
"This one may make you re-think your premise of 'mal-distribution' of income."
-- from a poster above
No, nothing would make me change my view on the present maldistribution of income. Laws about new kinds of business enterprises that never existed in the past, laws that favor gigantism and disfavor small business, with franchises and chains of all kinds, and sky's-the-limit stores, and also tax laws, which contrary to rumor are not handed down from on high, nor part of some natural order of things that simply must be accepted, but rather reflect political and economic power, have contributed to the banana-republic redistriobution we see around us. In the 1950s, when the marginal tax rates were 90%, and there was a lot more security and serenity, and a lot less rushing around because taxes did put a damper on frenetic activity. There is a disconnect between effort and return in too many places, in too many ways. But you are right in noting that I would welcome some return from this board game or anything else, and know exactly how that would improve my ability to complete tasks I deem important for me, but also for others.
As for the comment by a second poster that "somehow I don't think you and the Fitzgerald clan are starving. Give us Jihad Watchers some scraps from your largesse" --this disturbs and infuriates. Any "largesse" that I am capable of distributing is not from a bank account but from a mind. That poster's view may however be shared by others, and they, in turn, may find it easier to ignore those eleemosynary appeals (google "Posted by Hugh" and "eleemosynary" and "Jihad Watch") that I used to put up, and finally abandoned.
Let me try a different tack. You run a think-tank? I think all the time. How do I apply? Or you run a corporation and feel the need for outside consultants on this or that. Why not, instead of the boys and girls from McKinsey or Bain or BCG, try someone else entirely, with an entirely different mental preparation and outlook? You have a family foundation and would like someone to advise you on where best to place your civilizational bets? You run a hedge-fund and want a private advisor to keep you up to date on the whole wide world? Barkis, in all cases, is willing.
That second poster above, wildly off the mark, hints that I must be a coupon-clipping rentier. Magari.
By the way, I like that last sentiment in the posting by "limes" -- "go make some money" -- because it reminds me of the very end of "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," when Glenn Headley eggs on Steve Martin and Michael Cain, as they head off to fleece the new arrivals from Australia: "Let's go get 'em."
Posted by: Hugh at December 19, 2006 1:24 AM
speacial_guest
I'm sure a Mohammedan must be irked at us not understanding why they use stones. So let me help them out:
The Reliance of the Traveller. Version 1.06 - By Ahmad Ibn Naqib Al-MisriContext is important, remember?
BOOK E: PURIFICATION >> Chapter E-9.0: Going to Lavatory
E-9.5: Use of dry substances or water
Stones suffice to clean oneself, though it is best to follow this by washing with water. Anything can take the place of stones that is a solid, pure, removes the filth, is not something that deserves respect or is worthy of veneration, nor something that is edible (O: these being five conditions for the validity of using stones (N: or something else) to clean oneself of filth without having to follow it by washing with water).
But it is obligatory to wash oneself with water if:
1- one has washed away the filth with a liquid other than water, or with something impure;
2- one has become soiled with filth from a separate source;
3- one's waste has moved from where it exited (n: reaching another part of one's person) or has dried;
4- or if feces spread beyond the inner buttocks (N: meaning that which is enfolded when standing), or urine moved beyond the head of the penis, though if they do not pass beyond them, stones suffice.
at December 19, 2006 1:24 AM
Note that as per the above, toilet paper is verboten.
Posted by: Infidel Pride at December 19, 2006 1:26 AM
The Three Stooges never reached this level of comedy. Posted by: special_guestNo, but Dumb & Dumber came close Posted by: Infidel Pride
at December 19, 2006 1:31 AM
Hugh: Lighten up, I was kidding. I think many of us have an image of you that might not correspond to reality. I wasn't aware of the alms. For many JWers you're quite the cipher.
at December 19, 2006 1:34 AM
Je n’ai pas voulu vous offenser.
Posted by: Galloglass Warrior at December 19, 2006 1:40 AM
"In the 1950s, when the marginal tax rates were 90%, and there was a lot more security and serenity, and a lot less rushing around because taxes did put a damper on frenetic activity."
In the 1950s, there were far fewer people in the USA, the country was considerably less complex sociologically and less sprawling and interconnected than it is now, so it was easier to have more security and serenity. Socioeconomic systems reflect the degree of complexity and size of a polity. Given the sprawling complexity and size of the USA now, it is nearly miraculous that there is the amount of order and prosperity that exists.
Posted by: remote_control at December 19, 2006 3:33 AM
*blink*
Everyone Ignored the troll! That's a first guys! Let's keep it up!
Posted by: Gary at December 19, 2006 5:25 AM
Islam is the most sexually repressive idea in the Milky Way Galaxy.
Go into an alley in Islamabad some night and you'll see Moslems cutting loose. Especially popular is coupling with 9-yr boy hookers.
Posted by: Alarmed Pig Farmer at December 19, 2006 7:36 AM
Hugh-
I hope you do well with the game idea. I think it might even work as an Internet game with moderate charges for playing and a list of the top scorers-daily and "all time". A Monopoly style Jihad game that several could play might work too.
The difficulty with folks like you is that you are not a bourgeois. I am not either, but for different (blue collar background) reasons. They measure everything in money. I know one guy who makes about a million bucks a year restructuring and as a consultant to major corporations. He recently did work for GM. It's amazing what this guy does not know.
As you know, and as I have known, poverty sucks. Get rich-you already have a rich mind.
Posted by: Frank at December 19, 2006 7:36 AM
Hugh-
When I was in my late teens and early 20's I was so poor I used to go to the Catholic Worker to have my meals. No joke. I had more Shepherd's Pie than you can ever imagine. It was an amazing place in a run-down neighborhood on East 6th Street in the Lower East Side. It's still there, but the area is now gentrified.
Many people who are homeless are really crazy or have very serious drug and alcohol problems. They are always there and always will be there. The worst of it all is seeing how people can lose their self-respect and become broken inside. It's an excellent place to learn the consequences of that by looking at that.
Some people never lose their self-respect and have a certain quiet fire in them. You can see it and know that things will get better for them. But the collapse of a person's self-respect makes things hopeless for them. It's sad.
Posted by: Frank at December 19, 2006 8:02 AM
Final comment:
One thing I learned very well from some people at the Worker and similar places is that some people are poor and also evil people. It takes a discerning eye to recognize the evil ones. There are Hitlers among the destitute. Trust me. They are there and it would be better if they were dead. However, most people who are destitute are there because they are crazy, addicted, or just passing through to better times.
We must be kind but kind to the good who are wounded people or who are just having hard times. There are definitely evil people-very bad people in this world. Maybe they are born that way. Who knows...
Posted by: Frank at December 19, 2006 8:11 AM
There are also evil (and very fine and good people) who are well off. But I have no doubt that evil exists and it is a spiritual thing-it's an emptiness that is indescribable and it has nothing to do with class. The problem with the left is that they view things largely through economics, as do many on the other side. It's very naive. Most of this type are privileged people. Evil exists and must be crushed in its cradle. The conflict with this belief-system is about evil and the necessity to crush it in its cradle.
Posted by: Frank at December 19, 2006 8:27 AM
it's an emptiness that is indescribable and it has nothing to do with class
Very interesting. I see it the same way - a void, a hollow an emptiness and a displacement. The blank emptiness - it's portrayed visually as empty eye sockets in many movies. Same thing.
Posted by: A_Plague_on_Both_Houses at December 19, 2006 9:50 AM
An interesting twist on the Jihad Monoploy game would be to have a few Kafir sites to destory or desecrate.
These could be:
1)Hagia Sophia
2)Temple Mount
3)Bamiyan Buddhas
4)Hindu Kush
As you land on a site you can build a Mosque,
blow up a religous statues or murder as many unbelievers as you can get your hands on,(only Muslims are innocent after all).
When you have finished all sites you shout out "Halal, I am a Mufti" and start dealing out the FATWA cards.
I like this game.
Posted by: raz at December 19, 2006 1:21 PM
And, of course, if you pick a Go Directly to Guantanamo, Do Not Pass Go card, you must hie your little silver camel off to jail.
Posted by: remote_control at December 19, 2006 1:28 PM
I'd love 3-4 copies for myself and to hand out.
Posted by: Tom at December 19, 2006 4:09 PM
remote_control
what a pandora's box........ I followed the link.
2) Are Chocolate Chunk cookies halal or haram?
Chocolate Chunk Cookies contain Vanilla Extract, so it is not considered Halal.
http://www.muslimconsumergroup.com/Events.do?menu=Events&eventAction=eventdetail&eventId=245
Forget the vanilla extract, concentrate on the advice about doughnuts.
I found that the ingredient L-cysteine found in doughnuts is a puzzler. A protein amino acid naturally present in the proteins of life forms (including plants).
So, are all life forms haram? rendering halal slaughter a fraud and vegetarianism for the pious a death sentence through starvation.
We should be conveying this to the brothers and sisters. Lets see how devout they really are.
Posted by: rudekid at December 19, 2006 4:25 PM
Mountainclimbing: Haram or Halal?
A Muslim revert broached this question:
It appears that two Iranian women have become the first Muslim women to scale Mount Everest. This impressive feat will no doubt be heralded around the Muslim world, and for good reason. But do many of us really have the right to be proud of them?
...If hijab is the most important aspect to a woman's public presence (and that is preciously the implication of much so-called Islamic thinking today), how can she be climbing a mountain?!? Shouldn't we be condemning her?
Think about it. Can a woman safely scale Everest while fretting about whether any of her hair is visible? Can she do so while obsessing about her legs or arms showing (both of which remain taboo in the Muslim community, regardless of the weather or circumstances)? Think somebody can climb a mountain wearing a shalwar khameez, much less a jilbab?
Wait, it gets worse. What if there is a man beneath her on the trail? Is she not dishonored by this compromising position? And won't that sight risk causing fitnah and fatality on the mountainside? (I'm reminded of the fretting of late about the dire consequences of female imams bending over in front of men.)
And then there's the question of whether a "respectable" Muslim woman would wander around remote mountains with sherpas and assorted rich, mostly non-Muslim men from the four corners of the globe (i.e., other climbers)? Also, is it legitimate for a Muslim woman to leave her family behind not only to go on a long excursion into the wilderness, but to risk life & limb for the sake of a thrill?
Responses from some Muslims:
Any sensible *Muslim* woman will realize that removing the scarf in exchange for a *personally* satisfying, physical challenge (such as scaling a mountain) is a BAD trade off. Doing an act just to get a name in some record, and have the *personal* satisfaction of "having done it" is not a very noble goal. What benefit is there in scaling a mountain, especially when you factor in the spiritual cost of becoming indecent in front of men? Is this the ONLY way to achieve this benefit? Can this benefit not be achieved in another manner? Must it be achieved while wearing shorts and/or other revealing attire in front of men?
***
What is the point in climbing a mountain? Only the ego finds satisfaction in such small acts.,,,What? you have conquered creation? No no No, how stupid can one be....might I suggest that once reaching the pinnacle that you jump. Now theres a story!!!!! Who cares about mountain climbers, the world would be better place with less of them; both men and women.
- Posted by basit on Jun 03, 05 | 3:02 am
***
basit is right. Everything we do must serve some exact purpose. We eat, sleep, drink to live. We go to work to make money. We pray, fast etc for God's pleasure. Recreation and human achievement are complete farses. Who cares about people climbing Mt. Everest? Who cares about man reaching the moon? The hijab compels us to leave these frivolous activites.
I have a question for basit... if you want to get rid of mountain climbing, what activities do you want to keep? any others to get rid of too?
- Posted by haben79 on Jun 03, 05 | 5:40 pm
***
"what activities do you want to keep?"
Anything promoting the remembrance of God
"any others to get rid of too?"
Anything that leads to the forgetfullness of God
To be honest these are not such easy questions to answer. For all I know these Iranian ladies climbing the mountain has lead to the remembrance of Allah. We are talking about God, aren't we?
What I was trying to express was that there are more productive activities to do than climbing mountains. Remember we all have a finite amount of time in this world. Time is better spent understanding the meaning and objective of life and it is not meant to sow the seeds of love of the world. What is the point, our life here is not forever.
Anyways....I'm not to great with words, so I will stop now. However I will leave with Allahs Words:
007.051
"Such as took their religion to be mere amusement and play, and were deceived by the life of the world." That day shall We forget them as they forgot the meeting of this day of theirs, and as they were wont to reject Our signs.
***
It seems that priorities here are WAY out of line. Leave death-defying, useless "accomplishments" for those without guidance.
As for the Muslims - the women and the men - let them achieve the best "accomplishments": success in this world and the next by doing that which is commanded by God, and not by their whim or ambition.
***
There is a mimimum dress code for men ( i.e. navel to knee). The dress code for men is different from that of women, just like men and women are inherently different. The difference comes not from some cultural power struggle, but rather from the divine.
I agree that there is no conflict between practising Islam and living life, as long as we learn to embrace the limitations that God has set for us. Men are different from women, b/c that is the way God wants it.
***
my husband and i went rock climbing (yes, akram, it's me :) ), and yes, i wear hijab and i did it all fully covered, and the experience taught us more about the nature of faith in Allah, and the best way to approach living our lives, than anything in my life in recent months. especially when we got to the top and saw the view that Allah had in store for us. the physical challenge inherent in such activities often deepens or adds dimension to the spiritual experience. don't judge these sisters for doing something "personally gratifying" - they may have gotten recognition, naturally, for being the first muslim women to accomplish such an act, but you don't know why they did it or what they experienced in their hearts. such raw and humbling encounters with nature can be deeply profound and iman-strengthening. basit said time should be spent in understanding the meaning and objective of life - believe me, when you are hanging from a rope 4,000 feet up clinging to a rock face with only your faith and trust giving you the courage to keep moving up despite the fear of falling, and with Allah's magnificent earth rolling away below you in the cool mountain air, you've got a much better idea of the meaning and objective of life than sitting in your office in front of the computer for eight hours...
4) are we all forgetting who the first MUSLIM was who climbed a mountain to get a clearer view of life and to understand what Truth is?
- Posted by Lorien on Jun 12, 05 | 7:56 pm
***
Salaams, "Lorien"
That's great. I'm glad you guys had such a good experience. I'm glad you were able to do it in a way that made you feel both fulfilled and modest.
***
And who cares if they climbed mountains? Is it really an issue?
Mountain-climbing is MUBAH ( neutral), strictly fiqh-y speaking. The act could only be considered makruh (not recommended) if the women felt they were risking their lives. But given the safety equipment they were using, and considering the liklihood that they did not enter into the act feeling unsafe, it would NOT be considered makruh. NOR haram (forbidden), NOR mustahab (recommended), NOR wajib (required).
***
What are the objectives of mountain climbing and how does it serve Allah? Should be the first questions Muslims should be asking themselves before traversing a mountain. If it serves Allah well than go ahead but if it doesn't than do something that will.
http://www.altmuslim.com/perm.php?id=1464_0_25_0_C23
at December 19, 2006 4:53 PM
Lest some fail to note the moral of the story -- not just from my immediately preceding post, but from all the posts of this thread: the variety of opinions and decrees and fatwas in Islamic societies and throughout Islamic history concerning what is halal and what is haram (as well as a multitude of other related fine-tuning micro-managing subcategories they have worked out with their typical OCD meticulousness, with whose Arabic terms I am unfamiliar) is not indicative of any cultural & intellectual vitality and health; rather -- and even aside from the ostensible fact that this variety is an expression of a florid Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder set within a context of Totalitarianism --, the underlying concern which motivates this variety, this variegated pursuit, should be seen for the grotesquely and quaintly pathological preoccupation it is, psychologically contiguous with a deeper morbid phobia of damnation coupled with an obsessive lust for a carnal salvation, mirroring a morbid phobia of uncertainty coupled with an obsessive lust for absolute certitude.
at December 19, 2006 5:03 PM
A_Plague_on_Both_Houses-
I have no doubt in the existence of God and in the existence of evil. However, I find organized religion to be anywhere from cold bagels to outright repulsive (Islam, e.g.). It is so infantile to treat beliefs as if they are facts.
However, I can tell you honestly, without any hesitation, that God has directly intervened in my life. When I was 19, I almost died, but a series of very extraordinary circumstances prevented that from happening. Maybe I've got the luck of the Irish, but I definitely have been a very fortunate man. Do I think I'm special? Hardly. Maybe God thinks I'm so dumb he has to look after me.
I don't go for the "war is deception" nonsense of Mohammad. It's amazing how these clowns turn to Unbelievers and lecture them with their infantile crap and shift responsibility for what they have done and its consequences. Look at this Flying Phonies/CAIR nonsense re the airports. Muslims are responsible for putting us all through this ordeal we have to go through at airports, but they will find some way to shift blame to the unbelievers (they even blame Jews for 911). It's sick..
I am definitely drawn to the teachings of Jesus. However, I can't stand dogma. I can't take it. Mohammad was a deceiver who recommended that. Jesus said all deception comes from "the evil one". A bad "Christan" is equal to a good Muslim in deception.
Posted by: Frank at December 19, 2006 5:38 PM
remote_control -
To me the most interesting part of that exchange was the contrast between this post:
"Any sensible *Muslim* woman will realize that removing the scarf in exchange for a *personally* satisfying, physical challenge (such as scaling a mountain) is a BAD trade off..... What benefit is there in scaling a mountain, especially when you factor in the spiritual cost of becoming indecent in front of men?"
and this one, by Lorien:
"such raw and humbling encounters with nature can be deeply profound and iman-strengthening. basit said time should be spent in understanding the meaning and objective of life - believe me, when you are hanging from a rope 4,000 feet up clinging to a rock face with only your faith and trust giving you the courage to keep moving up despite the fear of falling, and with Allah's magnificent earth rolling away below you in the cool mountain air, you've got a much better idea of the meaning and objective of life than sitting in your office in front of the computer for eight hours."
That exchange calls to mind this well-known zen story (appropriately titled "obsessed" by the blogger who posted it):
"Two traveling monks reached a river where they met a young woman. Wary of the current, she asked if they could carry her across. One of the monks hesitated, but the other quickly picked her up onto his shoulders, transported her across the water, and put her down on the other bank. She thanked him and departed. As the monks continued on their way, the one was brooding and preoccupied. Unable to hold his silence, he spoke out. "Brother, our spiritual training teaches us to avoid any contact with women, but you picked that one up on your shoulders and carried her!"
"Brother," the second monk replied, "I set her down on the other side, while you are still carrying her.""
http://www.rider.edu/suler/zenstory/obsessed.html
If more Muslims could somehow come to see the world like Lorien does, I'd be a whole lot more optimistic about the future.
at December 19, 2006 6:47 PM
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