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DC Watson recounts the activities of the courageous Kevin Montavon:
We’ve witnessed what the Council on American Islamic Relations is willing to post on their website. We spar with them on a continual basis, and will do so until they cease to be. While we spend our time dealing with these spin artists, it’s very important to remember that they also utilize local news publications to push their Islamic propaganda. Thus they should also be countered at this level. A colleague of mine who lives in the Ohio area recently called CAIR out for their distortions about Islam and the Qur’an.For any of the Islamic apologists that visit this site and attempt to defend Islam by categorizing anyone who confronts it as ignorant, my colleague and friend, Kevin Montavon, possesses a Communications degree, attended twelve years of Catholic school, and has read both the Holy Bible and the Qur’an from cover to cover.
This exchange occurred in Ohio’s largest newspaper, the Columbus Dispatch. It began with a column written by Mahmoud El-Yousseph, entitled “Sacred Quran valuable to all of mankind.” The Dispatch published this on Thursday, May 26, 2005.
El-Yousseph appears to be affiliated in some capacity with the Council on American Islamic Relations, or is at least sympathetic with the organization. I draw this conclusion from the fact that in his letter, he invites anyone interested in receiving a free Qur’an to contact CAIR.
“Sacred Quran is valuable to all of mankind”
Mahmoud El-Yousseph: Posted 5/26/2005
“If a Muslim-American and retired Air Force veteran may speak out on the issue of the desecration of the Holy Quran, as reported on May 9 by Newsweek, here goes:”
“I have not yet recovered from the sadistic images from the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. God only knows whether Newsweek’s story, that a copy of the Holy Quran was flushed down the toilet at the U.S. detention center at Guantanomo Bay, Cuba, was true.”
“At this juncture, I feel that it is more productive and beneficial to learn about Islam and the Quran from a Muslim than from a biased and unreliable news organization that has only profit in mind. For that reason, I share basic information about the Holy Qur’an with non-Muslim readers.”
‘The Qur’an is the complete book of guidance for mankind. It is the sacred book of the Muslims and the main source of law in Islam. It is considered God’s words, which the angel Gabriel brought to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. This took place in the year 610, when the Prophet was 40 years old, and the revelations lasted for 23 years. It starts for the first 10 years in Mecca and continues for another 13 years in Medina. Both cities are in present-day Saudi Arabia.”
“The Quran is written in Arabic, to be read from right to left. It orders Muslims to do good and to avoid evil. The Quran consists of 114 chapters, called suras, and 6236 verses, called ayahs, according to the book Islam: Beliefs and Teachings, by Ghulam Sarwar.”
“In the Quran, one can find stories of many other prophets who came before Islam, including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and Jesus, peace be upon them.“
“A Muslim also believes in all the revealed books that are mentioned in the Quran: the Torah of Moses, the Psalms of David and the Gospel of Jesus. The Quran also mentions the Scrolls of Abraham.”
“The Quran mentions many events that occurred prior to Islam, events that took place during the prophet Mohammed’s life and events that will take place in the future.”
“It might even surprise readers to know that the Virgin Mary, peace be upon her, is the only woman mentioned by name in the Quran, and that her name is mentioned 34 times. Jesus’ name is mentioned 33 times. The Prophet Muhammad’s name is mentioned only five times. The Quran recognizes and respects other faiths and prophets. Such a faith deserves respect, not public insults.”
“Anyone who is interested in a free copy of the Holy Quran translated into English can visit the Web site of the Council on American Islamic Relations at www.cair-ohio.com.”And here is Kevin Montavon's reply:
“Quran has little value to people who are not Muslims”
Montavon’s rebuttal: Posted 6/18/2005
“Is Mahmoud El-Yousseph the self-appointed spokesman for all Muslims in central Ohio? It seems that every time a sensitive issue arises that in any way involves Islam, he is the first to fire off a letter to The Dispatch.”“In his letter to the editor of May 26, El-Yousseph engaged in some distortions that render his basic premise (that The Koran is valuable to all humankind) meaningless.”
“The Koran is not valuable to all humankind. It is not valuable at all to non-Muslims. To non-Muslims (who make up the majority of the world's population), The Koran is nothing more than a book. And it is not a very good one, at that”.
“El-Yousseph went on to state that Islam respects the revelations of other faiths such as the Torah and the Gospels. What he failed to mention is that the Koran also teaches that these books are deficient, and that the Koran is the only true word of God. It also teaches that Christians and Jews have received revelation from God, but they have distorted that revelation.”
“Perhaps El Yousseph would like to explain the verses in the Koran that condone wife-beatings, honor-killings, deception in the name of protecting Islam, and other behavior that is abhorrent to modern society“:
4.34 (on wives), "admonish them, leave them in their beds apart, and beat them")
5.51 ("don’t take Jews and Christians as friends, they are friends of one another")
8.12 ("I will instill terror into the hearts of the unbelievers, Smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger tips of them").
9.5 (Slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captives and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush")
9.29 ("Fight those who do not believe in God, ... until they pay the tax in acknowledgment of superiority and they are in a state of subjection".)
“Perhaps he would like to explain why societies that are based on Islamic law provide little or no equal rights to women, little or no religious freedom to practice a non-Islamic faith, and little or no progress in the way of assimilating into modern society.”
“When Americans see people who claim to be civilized engaging in riotous and murderous behavior simply because they think that pages from a "holy" book were flushed down a toilet, we can analyze these events and come to conclusions on our own. We do not need the Mahmoud El-Yousseph filter to explain everything to us. Thanks but no thanks.”
Kevin Montavon
Posted by Robert at June 26, 2005 7:38 PM
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But if Kevin M. didn't read the Qu'ran in Arabic, from right to left, how can we trust him?
And even if he did, how do we know he isn't an undeclared Islamophobe?
And, even if isn'tIslamophobic, and he's completely right, Allah deceives at will (according to this same Koran), so maybe the entire Koran is just one big Cosmic Deception to see who is stupid enough to fall for it?
So many questions...
I'm going to get a nice cold drink and think it all over.
Kudos, Kevin M.
Posted by: BigSleep![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/nav-commenters.gif)
at June 26, 2005 8:58 PM
Good for Kevin Montavon. No, thank god for Kevin Montavon. He, and others like him, including his friend and ours, D. C. Watson, need to be emulated, all over this country. All over the Western world.
Posted by: Hugh at June 26, 2005 9:01 PM
You the man, Kevin M.!
Posted by: 3812Michelle at June 26, 2005 9:08 PM
“I have not yet recovered from the sadistic images from the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. "
WE haven't recovered from the sadistic images of all the beheading videos the members of the RoPaT perpetuated. And I doubt if the Russians in Beslan or the Buddhists in southern Thailand have recovered either.
Posted by: jay at June 26, 2005 9:30 PM
Here's a Muslim using the "Ignorant" defense
and still posts his article on "How to make America an Islamic Nation" and it reads like the CAIR manual for imposing Islam on Americans.
The plan is a long-term one and admits that Islam loses thousands of followers that befriend
American ,the advice is to self-segarate and creat a Muslim area like in Michigan.
http://www.islamicedfoundation.com/articles/article15.htm">http://www.torontomuslims.com/outside_display.asp?http://www.islamicedfoundation.com/articles/article15.htm
Posted by: ala-sux at June 26, 2005 10:20 PM
THANK YOU KEVIN MONTAVON!!!!
Posted by: angry_kafir at June 27, 2005 1:04 AM
GOD BLESS THE BRAVE SOULS OF KEVIN MONTAVON, D.C. WATSON, HUGH FITZGERALD, ROBERT SPENCER, ORIANA FALLACI, BAT YE'OR, AND MANY OTHERS AMONG US.
at June 27, 2005 1:10 AM
The Koran is Muhammed's hallucinations and evil deeds put down on paper. It's not holy and has less value to me than yesterday's fish wrap. It’s an Arabian ego trip to think it has any use to anyone not born in the harsh deserts of Arabia. The harshness and remorseless killing in the Koran is a reflection of the harsh Arabian deserts
Posted by: dennisw at June 27, 2005 9:13 AM
Great Article Kevin. The book that should guide you through life is the Bible of course, here's some great examples:
1. Laws of Rape
"If a man is caught in the act of raping a young woman who is not engaged, he must pay fifty pieces of silver to her father. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he will never be allowed to divorce her." Deuteronomy 22:28-29
2. Laws for raising your child
"He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him takes care to chastise him" (Proverbs 13:24)
3. Treatment of Nonbelievers
They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul; and everyone who would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, was to be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. (2 Chronicles 15:12-13)
4. Treatment of family and friends.
If your own full brother, or your son or daughter, or your beloved wife, or you intimate friend, entices you secretly to serve other gods, whom you and your fathers have not known, gods of any other nations, near at hand or far away, from one end of the earth to the other: do not yield to him or listen to him, nor look with pity upon him, to spare or shield him, but kill him. Your hand shall be the first raised to slay him; the rest of the people shall join in with you (Deuteronomy 13:7-12)
5. This one speaks for itself:
Cursed be he who does the Lords work remissly, cursed he who holds back his sword from blood. (Jeremiah 48:10)
6. Treatment of war captives
therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves. Numbers 31:17-18
7. How to treat people who don’t believe in Jesus
“But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them--bring them here and kill them in front of me.' Luke 19-27
only seven out of so many great example of the bible that's full of love and tolerance
Your right Kevin, that's SOOO much better that what's in the Quaran.
at June 27, 2005 2:06 PM
Samir81~ Present examples of Christians actually doing these things on a daily basis, anywhere on the planet. But first take note that islamists around the world ARE doing such things on a daily basis.
We await your links.
Posted by: Gary at June 27, 2005 2:38 PM
Samir, or Samhain, listen mate, Gary's right ya wonky shonk. Where are Christians carrying these commands out anyway?
The Koran is a book filled with hatred that is taken by its sheep and carried out, mate.
Posted by: Unbridled at June 27, 2005 3:24 PM
The practice of Islam reflects the theory of Islam. The theory of Islam, or the tenets of Islam, are not to be found in a handful of verses of sometimes ambiguous meaning, but everywhere in Qur'an, Hadith, and Sira.
The attempt at Tu-Quoque above leaves out 1350 years of Muslim conqest and subjugation, not infrequently accompanied by mass slaughter (as with the Hindus), of Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and others.
One can find a very few passages in the Bible, not more than a handful, that may remind one of what the Qur'an is full of.
But we have the model, uswa hasana, al-insan al-kamil, Muhammad himnself. And how does Muhammad compare to Jesus, as someone meek and mild, and so on? The killing of Asma bint Marwan, or that Jewish poet whom Muhammad felt mocked him? The evident pleasure he took in seeing the bound prisoners of the Banu Qurayza decapitted one by one? The other assassinations, murders, attacks on enemies, or even on completely helpless farmers, such as those of the Khaybar Oasis? The rules for dividing the loot, with Muhammad getting his 1/5? And on and on -- surely that plays a role in the formation of Muslim attitudes and habits of mind.
There is plenty for some of those calling themselves Christians to be ashamed of, but it is more often in spite of Christianity
s tenets, not prompted by them. Those prompted by the tenets of Islam, on the other hand, are a permanent threat to the wellbeing of all non-Muslims -- as their texts, and their own testimony, when truthfully made to fellow Muslims and not taqiyya-and-tu-quoque laden for the Infidels, make clear.
at June 27, 2005 9:56 PM
Thank You! Hugh
For once again expressing in words the obvious and not so obvious truths.
at June 28, 2005 12:14 AM
Gary, what’s your point? Christians who don’t follow the commandments in the bible are better Christians? Dude you’re good.
What’s tragic and funny about right wing Christians is how soon they forget. Less than 10 years ago 200,000 Muslims were killed by Christians in Bosnia and Kosovo.
Less than 70 years ago, 6 million Jews were killed by Christians. Less than 40 years ago black people were hung from trees by so-called Christians. Protestants and Catholics have been on each others throats for centuries, you can still see it in Northern Ireland. In 1982, the Christian militia slaughtered hundreds of women and children refugees in Lebanon. Thousands of catholic priests been accused of child molestation in the past few years. The list is very long, Should I go on?
But unlike you, I don’t generalize. Just like Muslims, not all Christians are bad people, just a small minority.
Unbridled, you’re post shows your Forest Gump intelligence, you’re way too tough for me.
Hugh, you’re right about one thing. To Muslims Mohammed is the perfect human being. However, the Mohammed I know is totally different Mohammed than the one you think you know. You get your information from hateful anti Islam people who distorted the image of Mohammed. The Mohammed I know is the kindest and wisest man that ever lived. Don’t take my word for it, after all “I’m a Muslim who can’t be trusted to tell the truth” read what non-Muslims said about:
"The lies (Western slander) which well-meaning zeal has heaped round this man (Muhammad) are disgraceful to ourselves only."
"A silent great soul, one of that who cannot but be earnest. He was to kindle the world, the world’s Maker had ordered so." Thomas Carlyle
"The greatest success of Mohammad’s life was effected by sheer moral force."
Edward Gibbon
With regards to mass slaughter Muslim worriors committed, that is pure rubbish. Again don’t take my word for it, read what non-Muslim historians say about it:
“The picture of the Muslim soldier advancing with a sword in one hand and the Qur'an in the other is quite false.” A. S. Tritton
“History makes it clear, however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myths that historians have ever repeated.” De Lacy O'Leary
“The theory of Islam and sword, for instance, is not heard now in any quarter worth the name.” K. S. Ramakrishna Rao. So Hugh, guess what quarter you belong to.
I’m sure you and the others would dismiss those historians as untrustworthy Islam apologist. But ask yourself a question, what would make any non-Muslims defend Islam and Mohammed? If Islam is a real threat to non-Muslims as you suggest, why would these non Muslims stand up for it? Surely you don’t know more than they do.
Few passages from the bible, no more than a handful? You must be kidding. Sell this garbage to somebody who didn’t read the bible cover to cover. I went to a catholic university where theology classes were mandatory. There are tons of passages like the ones I mentioned earlier in the bible. Things like killing women and children, bashing infants head on rocks, burning people, beating your child, cutting your wife’s hands, selling your daughter, killing people who gather sticks on the Sabbath, stoning un-virgin brides, degrading women, marrying 700 women, killing a man to get his wife, marring your half sister, calling gentiles dogs (which I don’t believe Jesus said by the way) etc. Nothing in the Quran even comes close to the brutality in the bible. You seem like an expert in Islam, show me one verse in the Quran that Condon killing women and children. You can’t, because it doesn’t exist.
The cases of those poets you mentioned, these stories are as real as the Da Vinci code, or even the ester bunny. All those stories are very weak and chances are it never happened. If Mohammad was in the habit of killing people who mocked him, then tell me smart guy, why he didn’t kill the meccan when he conquered Mecca? Nobody mocked him more than they did. Why did he tell them “go, you’re free” when he had the chance to kill every last one them? But for the sake of argument, let’s assume that it is true. Big deal, that’s blasphemy, and according to your bible, punishable by death.
The treatment of Banu Qurayza. That’s a tricky one. First of all, they betrayed the Muslims after signing an agreement, so there not innocent. Second, correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t it exactly what Moses ordered his troops to do. Look at the book of Numbers you’ll find it. Actually, what Moses did was worse; he ordered married women and young boys to be killed as well. Joshua ordered his troops not to leave anybody breathing in Ai. However, both are regarded as great bible heroes. So Mohammed is a cold blooded killer for doing exactly what Moses and Joshua did before him. That’s a great great argument, I’m speechless.
Anyway Hugh, you seem like you’re brainwashed like so many others here and couple of posts won’t help.
I won’t be back to this website again; I know that I’m not welcomed here. But before I leave, let me give all of you a piece of advice. You want to know what Islam is all about, learn it from Muslims who know their religion well. Somewhere in this website, I read someone advising the readers not to learn Islam from Muslims. If that makes sense to you, then you’re very naive. What would you say if someone told you that he or she learned Christianity from a rabbi, or an atheist, or an ex Christian? That would be illogical, wouldn’t it? Use your brain, don’t let other people tell you how to think, find out for yourself, from the right sources.
Contrary to what many of you may think, I do not hate Christians, My wife is a Lutheran and I love her dearly, and most of my friends are Christians. All I mentioned here about the bible is not meant to degrade the bible of Christianity, I just wanted to show everybody that even the bible has passages that can be misunderstood, and it was for hundreds of years, that’s why so many bad things were committed in the name of Christianity. The Quran is being misinterpreted by extremist and real Muslims like me are ashamed of what they did and still do in the name of Islam. Visit an Arab Christian website www.al-bushra.org to see the truth about the Muslim Christian relationship in the Middle East.
Peace.
at June 28, 2005 4:27 PM
Samir81, you are a liar and a hypocrit.
Posted by: Gary at June 29, 2005 5:42 AM
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