Why should Mr. Spencer have to consult with Mr. Hendi before he writes about him? Does Thomas Friedman consult with President Bush before he writes about him? What a joke. Only the former French Interior Minister would agree with Mr. Hendi, as shown by his trotting off to Al-Azhar for a fatwa concerning their hijab ban before instituting it.

Posted by: Mentat at August 9, 2004 11:45 AM

Actually, I don't think that Mr. Hendi is being outrageous, and I don't think the point of the letter is to excoriate Mr. Spencer. It is good practice for journalists to confirm quotations. Bloggers often rely on what journalists have reported. If a misquote gets propagated and repropagated it's bad.
It doesn't even have to be a misquote, as far as I am concerned. If a guy wants to go on record as saying that Islam needs to accomodate itself to an open society, then I am all for him.

Posted by: Miss Moneypenney at August 9, 2004 12:00 PM

i wouldn't trust this guy:

he said:

It is my belief according to a great book I respect, the Holy Bible, that "the truth shall set you free." The truth can liberate minds and give hope to the world.

Jesus said:

John: 31,32 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

he needs to be set free by repenting totally
of islam and receiving Him who is able to truly
set free!

Posted by: forrestshalom at August 9, 2004 12:40 PM

Pope Forrest, you're back!
You don't have to TRUST the man. All you have to do is repeat his message, remembering this:

Muslim American activist: fifty percent of Muslims worldwide support extremists

Posted by: Miss Moneypenney at August 9, 2004 1:03 PM

"I pray that this message finds you in the best of health and spirits.

I also ask the Almighty one, our Creator, to protect you and always stay on your side with His Wisdom and love."

Who is Mr. Imam Yahya Hendi praying to? If he is a Muslim, he is *NOT* praying to the God who exists. His concept of the "Almighty one, our creator", as he calls him, is not the God who is Holy! Holy! Holy! and Mr. Imam Yahya Hendi is unholy. Nothing and no one unholy, will *EVER EVER* enter into the presence of God. God's fiery wrath will consume them. God is angry with the wicked every day (see Psalm 7) and Mr. Imam Yahya Hendi is an evil wicked sinful creature, as we all are. Unless he repents, he shall perish and be cast into the Lake of Fire, where the smoke of his torment will go up day and night forever. That is in the Bible! Check it out, properly, don't misquote, Sir!

"It is my belief according to a great book I respect, the Holy Bible, that "the truth shall set you free." The truth can liberate minds and give hope to the world."

The Holy Bible is not a great book, it is the *GREATEST!*, in the whole universe.

Mr. Imam Yahya Hendi needs to show more respect towards Yahweh's Holy Word, the Bible and quote it correctly and not out of context to suit his purposes. The truth will only set you free if you know the Authour of TRUTH, The LORD Jesus Christ, fully God-fully Man! Only if you are one of God's Chosen people, one of His Elect before the very foundations of the world, a regenerated/born again disciple of The LORD Jesus Christ. Are you a disciple of The LORD Jesus Christ Mr. Imam Yahya Hendi? If not, repent of your evil sinful wickedness

"Jesus" means: "Jehovah is Salvation"
"Christ" means: "The Anointed One, The Messiah".

Even the Jews rejected and reject The Messiah. Do you too?

Repent!!!

Love

Douglas

Soli Deo Gloria

Aseity

John 8

The Truth Shall Make You Free

31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
33They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, "You will be made free'?"
34Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

Abraham's Seed and Satan's

37 "I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 38I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with[12] your father."
39They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."
Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. 40But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. 41You do the deeds of your father."
Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father--God."
42Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. 43Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. 44You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. 45But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. 46Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? 47He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

Posted by: Aseity at August 9, 2004 1:03 PM

Sounds like that song 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart.' This gent appears to have histrionic talents : expect to see him in next Mike Moore Epic. As his life has been 'threatened' for speaking out against Osama B, we come to same old hoary CHESTNUT...How can Islam be a Peaceful Religion if you can be killed for disagreeing with any of its Tenets??

Posted by: Morgane at August 9, 2004 1:35 PM

when Jesus spoke to 'the jews' it is better undertood in context as speaking within the jewish community.

'jews' should be translated 'judeans' in the john 8 passage.

this is similar in terms of regional designation within the usa:

yankee = galilean
southerner= judean

northern and southern jews simply
distinguishing where they are from.

this would help clear up some confusion
as to the allegation that Jesus was 'against' the jews.

impossible!

the Messiah IS jewish.

shalom

Posted by: forrestshalom at August 9, 2004 1:40 PM

"My life was threatened many times because of my views and I was called names like "traitor to Islam" and a "sellout" to Americans because I spoke in attack of those who dare to attack America. I still can not travel to some of those countries out of fear for my life."

Nor can anyone else travel to those countries who do not bow down to the non-existent Islamic god called Allah. All peoples physical lives are threatened if they do not worship that false god. And if they do worship it, then their eternal lives are threatened with eternal damnation.

Are you going to shout from the rooftops, Mr. Imam Yahya Hendi, that these "BLOODY" outrageous crimes against humanity must stop?

Do you fear God alone, Mr. Imam Yahya Hendi?

I do.

I fear no demon no devil no satan no beast no man no woman, I FEAR God alone.

Love

Douglas

Soli Deo Gloria

Aseity

Islam and Beheading.
http://www.muhammadanism.org/Islam/islam_beheading.pdf

America, Muslims and Torture

13 May 2004:

The reports and pictures of American soldiers torturing Iraqi prisoners have shocked the world, and rightly so. There is absolutely no justification for the torture of prisoners. It is against international law and against all humanitarian values as well. As Christians we condemn all acts of torture no matter who committed them. The people who are responsible for these horrible deeds must be punished.

It does not matter whether those prisoners were guilty of some crime, or not. There is no justification for what the American soldiers did. Period. If their guilt is established in a court of law, they should be properly punished. But torture is unacceptable.

Some days after the reports about the torture in Iraqi prisons had become public knowledge, a militant Muslim group cut off the head of Nicholas Berg, an American civilian (not a soldier and not one involved in fighting), and published the video of his execution. However, already some weeks before that, several other Americans civilians were deliberately killed, and their bodies dragged through the streets for public display.

Without reservation, Answering Islam condemns the torture of prisoners by American soldiers, or by anyone else for that matter. We demand that the guilty be punished for those horrible deeds.

Let me pose, however, a few more pertinent questions: Will Muslims also condemn the torture and mutilation of non-Muslims committed by the Muslim militia? Will they call for a severe punishment of the guilty, not only of the Americans, but also of the Muslims who committed these crimes? As America investigates the events and brings the guilty before a court of law, will Muslims do all they can so that the same happens among their own?

The final question which is certainly the most painful one: Are Muslims willing to condemn all torture and mutilation, no matter who is the victim and who is the person responsible? Will Muslims, in particular, also condemn the torture and mutilation that was committed upon direct command of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam? The articles about Muhammad's role in the death of the Uraynians and the death of Kinana present a detailed discussion of these incidents as reported in the Muslim sources.

It did not stop with these incidents. Torture, mutilation and humiliation were committed by Muslims over and over again in the history of Islam, both against Muslims and against non-Muslims. And this was not only done by some radical fanatics, but by the spiritual and political leaders of the Muslim community. Consult Sir William Muir's work The Caliphate: Its Rise, Decline, and Fall - From Original Sources for details.

Whether or not Muslims will condemn the torture committed by their fellow Muslims as much as they condemn the torture committed against Muslims and whether or not they will condemn the torture committed upon the command of Muhammad himself, we demand that the torture that has been committed against people currently in the "care" of America be properly punished. Even if Muslims seek to justify their torture, there is still no justification that the officials of a free and democratic society torture anybody.

However, if Muslims are not willing to condemn the crimes against humanity in their own history, both past and present, including the ones committed under the direct responsibility of Muhammad, their condemnation of the same crimes by Americans will ring hollow, and appear to be little more than hypocrisy. This is a matter of moral integrity.

If you are a Muslim reader, you certainly have the right to be angry about the violation of the human rights and dignity of these Iraqi prisoners. But if you find this absolutely unacceptable, you should also begin to think about whether or not you want to be part of a religion that was founded by somebody who ordered the torture of his enemies in more than one instance, and whose life has been declared by the Qur'an to be the role model for every believer of Islam.
Jochen Katz
http://www.answering-islam.org/Terrorism/torture.html

See active links within the above article for more information.

Posted by: Aseity at August 9, 2004 1:45 PM

forrestshalom: "the Messiah IS Jewish."

You are 100% correct about that, Sir.

"The Fundamentalist Christian and Anti-Semitism," by Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer - Schaeffer here writes of how anti-Semitism is entirely antithetical to a biblical Christian faith. In the America of 1943, his message was not necessarily a popular one, and it remains today a timely message which demands re-reading.
http://www.pcanet.org/history/documents/anti-semitism.html

off topic here a bit, sorry:

Not Replacement...Expansion! By Rev. Fred Klett
Much fuss has been made in our Jewish evangelism circles regarding "replacement" theology, the idea that the church has "replaced" the Jewish people in the plan of God. Some have even accused all who think New Covenant believers are "Spiritual Israel" as being guilty of this "replacement theology", that is, of replacing the Jewish people with the church. Read this to know what Covenant Theology really believes about Jews.
http://www.chaim.org/xpansion.htm

Do Jews Really Need Christ? Controversy over Jewish Evangelism by R. Albert Mohler, Jr.

"Given the current controversy between the Southern Baptists and the American Jewish community, you might think that Baptists had proposed to force their way into synagogues during the High Holy Days. Major Jewish organizations and liberal Christian groups have accused the Baptists of "spiritual intolerance" and "theological genocide." What is this all about?"
http://www.sbts.edu/mohler/FidelitasRead.php?article=fidel033

Posted by: Aseity at August 9, 2004 2:13 PM

We want to be fair.....but be careful. We are all aware of the concept of taqiyya and kitman.

Posted by: epg at August 9, 2004 2:30 PM

Should Islam be banned or not? Join in on the debate:

http://www.bearstrong.net/warblog/000764.html#comments

Posted by: Ali Dashti at August 9, 2004 2:38 PM

Aseity,

while you wile away your time memorizing ancient fairy tales the muslims will eat your children; or grandchildren if applicable.

don't get into some ridiculous philosophical argument here about whose religion is right or wrong; who's good/evil etc etc.

this is a battle between civilizations. i don't care if you're a druid, at least here in America you can be a druid at peace. if we continue our current course, your freedom will be in jeopardy.

i want to be free to practice, or not practice, whatever i want. i don't want any belief system imposed upon me by anybody, including those following the christian mythology. "turn the other cheek"... my foot. i say turn the other cheek while you're in the midst of a spinning side-kick to your attacker's brain box.

the goal is solely stopping islam, nothing more.

Posted by: drisnya at August 9, 2004 4:52 PM

drisnya
Amen to that! This issue is about politics and security not whose religion is better

Posted by: Miss Moneypenney at August 9, 2004 6:59 PM

Oh, and in case you missed it amidst the drivel that was posted earlier.
Kudos to Mr. Spencer. Look at what goes on at the Boston Globe re: Kerry vets or the NY Times. At least when someone says he does not stand behind what he is alleged to have said at Jihadwatch, Mr. Spencer gives him the opportunity to speak his piece.

Posted by: Miss Moneypenney at August 9, 2004 7:01 PM

Notice, that he respects the Holy Bible, he did not say that he believes it.

He also quotes from the Bible....but don't let that fool you. Remember when Jesus was fasting in the wilderness, Satan came to him and quoted the Bible too.

Just because someone can quote the Bible means nothing. More importantly, it is the team that they are playing for. No matter how nice he wants to be, he has a differant team uniform on than us.

This is also a propaganda war.

Posted by: alaskan1000 at August 9, 2004 8:37 PM

Several years ago Imam Hendi appeared on a television show which was so full of sly apologetics that it prompted Diane West of The Washington Times to write a column about his performance. Perhaps, of course, he has changed over the past few years. But that is not what he says. He implies that he has always been on the side of the angels. One would like to find out precisely what wonderful things he has said -- exact quotes, places where said, and so on -- and also about those supposed threats made against him, which we are supposed to receive as a guarantee of his forthrightness. Given the long history of religiously-sanctioned dissimulation (taqiyya or kitman), given the fact that apologetics is the main mode of discussion by Muslims, why should any of us believe that the Imam Hendi is telling the truth, instead of what is much more verisimilar, that he is simply attempting to hold onto his sinecure at Georgetown (surely Esposito will help him see to that), and therefore is willing to say whatever he needs to say to keep that job.

He will have to do a bit mroe, given his performance some years ago on a cable station, to convince many that he is now quite as brave and noble a defender of non-Muslims as he claims to be. It strikes one as, on the face of it, absolute nonesense. So, as Robert sensibly suggests, let Imam Hendi's words and deeds be closely monitored -- and also compared with his history of previous statements and appearances, to arrive at some sense of what he is all about.

Posted by: Hugh at August 9, 2004 11:43 PM

1 Man......does not diminish the threat, or hold back the ambitions of the millions.

Posted by: Joe Bananas at August 10, 2004 8:20 AM

TAQIYYA

Posted by: CGW at August 10, 2004 11:26 AM

I really wanted to pray as Jesus, son of the virgin Mary, said: "pray for your persecutors" and as the Qur'an says: "repel evil with good". I, indeed, believe that God will and does bless those who make peace and work for peace.

I know that I am not Mr. perfect, but I also know that I am on tha path of purification and that I am doing my best for all people regardless of thie faith and race.

I pray that those who wann serve the Lord, care enough to join me on that road to work together to make peace with our fellow humanbeings.

You can email me or call me if interested in being my partner to/for peace.

Posted by: yahyahendi at August 11, 2004 12:32 PM

Let me say this: no matter what you do or say against me, I will continue to pray for you and extend my hands to you for friendship.
It is my firm belief that we have to work together even if we may differ in theology or creed.
We are on this ship together, like shipmates.

Please!! For God's sake and for peace around the world sake!! Let us join hands and work together to end wars.. to stand against evil...to feed the hungry... to stop the evil of deaths of humanbeings in Dafur, Sudan....
Please blind not ur heart...
let us with hope work together.

ymh@imamyahyahendi.com

Posted by: yahyahendi at August 11, 2004 12:39 PM