Misconceptions About Islam
ovation
Marwan
Do you not have your own group you can post to?
I for one am not interested in your rambling...
Marwan
In the Name of Allah, most Compassionate, most Merciful
Misconceptions About Islam
Misconception #1: Muslims worship a different God
First of all, there is only One God who created the Universe and all of
mankind. Throughout history, people have created false gods in their minds
and come up with false ideas about Almighty God, but regardless of this
there is still only One True God - and He alone is worthy of worship.
Unfortunately, some non-Muslims have come to incorrectly believe that
Muslims worship a different God than Jews and Christians. This might be due
to the fact that Muslims sometimes refer to God as "Allah", but also because
over the centuries there have been many lies and distortions spread by the
enemies of Islam. In actuality, Muslims worship the God of Noah, Abraham,
Moses and Jesus --- the same God as Christians and Jews. The word "Allah" is
simply the Arabic word for Almighty God and it is the same word that Arabic
speaking Christians and Jews use to refer to God. If you pick up an Arabic
translation of the Christian Bible, you will see the word "Allah" where
"God" is used in English. But even though Muslims, Jews and Christians
believe in the same God, their concepts about Him differ quite a bit. For
example, Muslims reject the idea of the Trinity or that God has become
"incarnate" in the world. Also, the teachings of Islam do not rely on or
appeal to "mystery" or "paradox" --- they are straightforward and clear.
Islam teaches that God is Merciful, Loving and Compassionate and that He has
no need to become man (nor do humans need for Him to). One of the unique
aspects of Islam is that it teaches that man can have a personal and
fulfilling relationship with Almighty God without compromising the
transcendence of God. In Islam there is no ambiguity in Divinity --- God is
God and man is man. Muslims believe that God is the "Most Merciful", and
that he deals directly with human-beings without the need of any
intermediary. Actually, the phrase "In the Name of God, the Compassionate,
the Merciful" is one of the most repeated verses in the Holy Qur'an.
Additionally, the pure and straightforward teachings of Islam demand that
Almighty God be approached directly and without intermediaries. This is
because Muslims believe that God is completely in control of everything and
that He can bestow His Grace and Mercy on His creatures as He pleases - no
Atonement, Incarnation or blood sacrifice is necessary. In summary, Islam
calls people to submit to the One True God and to worship Him alone.
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Misconception #2: Muslims worship Muhammad
According to Islamic belief, the Prophet Muhammad was the last Messenger of
God. He, like all of God's prophets and messengers - such as Noah, Abraham,
Moses and Jesus -- was only a human being. Christians came to the mistaken
assumption that Muslims worship Muhammad by formulating an incorrect
analogy - they worship Jesus so they assumed Muslims worship Muhammad. This
is one of the reasons that they called Muslims by the incorrect name
"Mohammedans" for so many years! Muhammad, like Jesus, never claimed divine
status. He called people to worship only Almighty God, and he continually
emphasized his humanity so that people would not fall into the same errors
as Christians did in regards to Jesus. In order to prevent his deification,
the Prophet Muhammad always said to refer to him as "the Messenger of God
and His slave". Muhammad was chosen to be God's final messenger --- to
communicate the message not only in words but to be a living example of the
message. Muslims love and respect him because he was of the highest moral
character and he brought the Truth from God - which is the Pure Monotheism
of Islam. Even when Islam was in its very early stages, God revealed that
Muhammad "was sent as a mercy to all of mankind" - thus informing us that
the message of Islam would become very widespread. Muslims strive to follow
the great example of Muhammad, peace be upon him, but they do not worship
him in any way. Additionally, Islam teaches Muslims to respect all of God's
prophets and messengers - but respecting and loving them does not mean
worshipping them. All true Muslims realize that all worship and prayer must
be directed to Almighty God alone. Suffice it to say that worshipping
Muhammad --- or anyone else --- along with Almighty God is considered to be
the worst sin in Islam. Even if a person claims to be Muslim, but they
worship and pray to other than Almighty God, this cancels and nullifies
their Islam. The Declaration of Faith of Islam makes it clear that Muslims
are taught only to worship God. This declaration is as follows: "There is
nothing divine or worthy of being worshipped except for Almighty God, and
Muhammad is the Messenger and Servant of God".
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Misconception #3: Islam is a religion only for Arabs
The fastest way to prove that this is completely false is to state the fact
that only about 15% to 20% of the Muslims in the world are Arabs. There are
more Indian Muslims than Arab Muslims, and more Indonesian Muslims than
Indian Muslims! Believing that Islam is only a religion for Arabs is a myth
that was spread by the enemies of Islam early in its history. This mistaken
assumption is possibly based on the fact that most of the first generation
of Muslims were Arabs, the Qur'an is in Arabic and the Prophet Muhammad was
an Arab. However, both the teachings of Islam and the history of its spread
show that the early Muslims made every effort to spread their message of
Truth to all nations, races and peoples. Furthermore, it should be clarified
that not all Arabs are Muslims and not all Muslims are Arabs. An Arab can be
a Muslim, Christian, Jew, atheist - or of any other religion or ideology.
Also, many countries that some people consider to be "Arab" are not "Arab"
at all -- such as Turkey and Iran (Persia). The people who live in these
countries speak languages other than Arabic as their native tongues and are
of a different ethnic heritage than the Arabs. It is important to realize
that from the very beginning of the mission of Prophet Muhammad, peace be
upon him, his followers came from a wide spectrum of individuals -- there
was Bilal, the African slave; Suhaib, the Byzantine Roman; Ibn Sailam, the
Jewish Rabbi; and Salman, the Persian. Since religious truth is eternal and
unchanging, and mankind is one universal brotherhood, Islam teaches that
Almighty God's revelations to mankind have always been consistent, clear and
universal. The Truth of Islam is meant for all people regardless of race,
nationality or linguistic background. Taking a look at the Muslim World,
from Nigeria to Bosnia and from Malaysia to Afghanistan is enough to prove
that Islam is a Universal message for all of mankind --- not to mention the
fact that significant numbers of Europeans and Americans of all races and
ethnic backgrounds are coming into Islam.
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Misconception #4: Islam degrades women
Even though many aspects of Islam are misunderstood by non-Muslims, the
ignorance, misinformation and incorrect assumptions that are made in regards
to Islam's treatment of women are probably the most severe. Numerous verses
of the Qur'an make it clear that men and women are equal in the site of God.
According to the teachings of Islam, the only thing that distinguishes
people in the site of God is their level of God-consciousness. Due to this,
many people are surprised to find out that Islamic Law guaranteed rights to
women over 1400 years ago that women in the Europe and America only obtained
recently. For example, Islam clearly teaches that a woman is a full-person
under the law, and is the spiritual equal of a male. Also, according to
Islamic Law, women have the right to own property, operate a business and
receive equal pay for equal work. Women are allowed total control of their
wealth, they cannot be married against their will and they are allowed to
keep their own name when married. Additionally, they have the right to
inherit property and to have their marriage dissolved in the case of neglect
or mistreatment. Also, Islam does not consider woman an "evil temptress",
and thus does not blame woman for the "original sin". Women in Islam
participate in all forms of worship that men participate in. Actually, the
rights that Islam gave to women over 1400 years ago were almost unheard of
in the West until the 1900s. Less than fifty years ago in England and
America, a woman could not buy a house or car without the co-signature of
her father or husband! Additionally, Islam gives great respect to women and
their role in society --- it gives them the right to own property, marry who
they want and many other rights. Also, it should be mentioned that the
Prophet Muhammad's mission stopped many of the horrible practices in regards
to women that were present in the society of his time. For example, the
Qur'an put an end to the pagan Arab practice of killing their baby daughters
when they were born. Additionally, Islam put restrictions on the
unrestricted polygamy of the Arabs of the time, and put many laws in place
to protect the well-being of women. Today, most of the so-called reforms in
the status of women came about after the West abandoned religion for
secularism. Even those in the West who claim to follow the so-called
"Judaeo-Christian tradition" really follow the values of Western
liberalism --- but just to a lesser degree than their more liberal
countrymen. For more on this subject, please read: Women in Islam versus
Women in the Judaeo-Christian Tradition --- The Myth and The Reality. If
women in the Muslim World today don't have their rights, it is not because
Islam did not give them to them. The problem is that in many places alien
traditions have come to overshadow the teachings of Islam, either through
ignorance or the impact of Colonialization.
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Misconception #5: Muhammad wrote the Qur'an
In addressing this misconception, it is interesting to not that no other
religious scripture claims to the direct word of Almighty in toto as clear
and as often as the Holy Qur'an. As the Qu'ran clearly says: "if had been
written by man, you would have found many discrepancies therein". At the
time the Qur'an was revealed, the Arabs recognized that the language of the
Qur'an was unique and that it was distinctly different from the language
normally used by the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. The Arabs of that
time, by the way, were known for their beautiful poetry and Muhammad was
known to be an illiterate man! The Qur'an clearly says that Muhammad was
unable to read and write, so if this wasn't true, certainly his
contemporaries would have protested and rejected him. However, there are no
reports of this. Certainly there were people who rejected Muhammad's
message, just like other prophets were rejected, but none for this reason.
On the contrary, Muhammad, peace be upon him, had thousands of loyal
followers and the results of their efforts spread Islam from Spain to China
in just over a century! It is also interesting to note that even though the
Qu'ran is not poetry, the Arabs more or less gave up writing poetry after it
was revealed. It could be said that the Qur'an is the piece of Arabic
literature par execellance - and Muhammad's contemporaries realized that
they couldn't out do it. Additionally, it is easy to prove that Muhammad did
not possess a great deal of the knowledge which is expounded in the Qur'an:
such as knowledge of historical events, previous prophets and natural
phenomenon. The Qur'an says in several places that Muhammad and his people
did not know these things - so, again, if this wasn't true, certainly his
contemporaries would have rejected his claims. Suffice it to say that not
only is the Qu'ran the most memorized and well preserved scripture on earth,
it is also unequaled in eloquence, spirtual impact, clarity of message and
the purity of its truth.
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Misconception #6: Islam was spread by the sword
Many non-Muslims, when they think about Islam, picture religious fanatics on
camels with a sword in one hand and a Qur'an in the other. This myth, which
was made popular in Europe during the Crusades, is totally baseless. First
of all, the Holy Qur'an clearly says "Let there be no compulsion in
religion". In addition to this, Islam teaches that a person's faith must be
pure and sincere, so it is certainly not something that can be forced on
someone. In debunking the myth that Islam was "spread by the sword", the
(non-Muslim) historian De Lacy O' Leary wrote: "History makes it clear,
however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and
forcing Islam at the point of the sword upon conquered races is one of the
most fantastically absurd myths that historians have ever accepted." (Islam
at the Crossroads, London, 1923, p. 8.). It should also be known that
Muslims ruled Spain for roughly 800 years. During this time, and up to when
they were finally forced out, the non-Muslims there were alive and
flourishing. Additionally, Christian and Jewish minorities have survived in
the Muslim lands of the Middle East for centuries. Countries such as Egypt,
Morocco, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan all have Christian and/or
Jewish populations. If Islam taught that all people are supposed to be
killed or forced to become Muslims, how did all of these non-Muslims survive
for so long in the middle of the Islamic Empire? Additionally, if one
considers the small number of Muslims who initially spread Islam from Spain
and Morocco in the West to India and China in the East, one would realize
that they were far too few to force people to be members of a religion
against their will. Additionally, the great empire and civilization
established by the Muslims had great staying power -- its citizens were
proud to be part of it. The spread of Islam stands in contrast to the
actions of the followers of Christianity, who since the time of the Emperor
Constantine have made liberal use of the sword - often basing their conduct
on Biblical verses. This was especially true of the colonization of South
America and Africa, where native peoples were systematically wiped-out or
forced to convert. It is also interesting to note that when the Mongols
invaded and conquered large portions of the Islamic Empire, instead of
destroying the religion, they adopted it. This is a unique occurrence in
history - the conquerors adopting the religion of the conquered! Since they
were the victors, they certainly could not have been forced to become
Muslims! Ask any of the over one billion Muslims alive in the world today
whether they were forced! The largest Muslim country in the world today is
Indonesia --- and there were never any battles fought there! So where was
the sword? How could someone be forced to adhere to a spiritually rewarding
and demanding religion like Islam?
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Misconception #7: Muslims hate Jesus
Many non-Muslims are surprised to find out that according to Muslim belief,
Jesus, the son of Mary, is one of the greatest messengers of God. Muslims
are taught to love Jesus, and a person cannot be a Muslim without believing
in the virgin birth and miracles of Jesus Christ, peace be upon him. Muslims
believe these things about Jesus not because of the Bible or any other
religion, but simply because the Holy Qur'an says these things about him.
However, Muslims always emphasize that the miracles of Jesus, and all other
prophets, were by "God's permission". This having been said, many Christians
feel to not believe that Jesus is the "Son of God", "God Incarnate" or the
"Third Person" of the Trinity. This is because the Qur'an clearly says that
Almighty God does not have a "Son" --- neither allegorically, physically,
metaphorically or metaphysically. The Pure Monotheism of Islam rejects the
notion of "defining" God (which is basically what the "Doctrine of the
Trinity" does), saying that someone is "like" God or equal to him, or
praying to someone else besides God. Also, Islam teaches that titles such as
"Lord" and "Savior" are due to God alone. In order to avoid
misunderstanding, it should be clarified that when Muslims criticize the
Bible or the teachings of Christianity, they are not attacking "God's Word"
or Jesus Christ, peace be upon him. From the Muslim point of view, they are
defending Jesus and God's Word --- which they have in the form of the
Qur'an. Muslim criticism is targeted at writings that some people claim are
God's word, but Muslim's simply don't accept their claim that they are
really God's word in toto. Additionally, Christian doctrines such as the
Trinity and the Atonement are criticized by Muslims precisely because they
did not originate from Jesus, peace be upon him. In this way, Muslims are
the true followers of Jesus, peace be upon him, because they defend him from
the exaggerations of the Christians and teach the Pure Monotheism that Jesus
himself followed.
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Misconception #8: Islam is fatalistic
Most Muslims find it rather odd that their religion, which strikes a
beautiful balance between faith and action, could be accused of being
"fatalistic". Perhaps this misconception came about because Muslims are
taught to say "Praise be to God!" whenever anything good or bad happens.
This is because Muslims know that everything comes from Almighty God, who is
the All-Knowing Sustainer of the Universe, and that since a Muslim should
rely completely on God, whatever happened must have been for the better.
However, this does not mean that Muslims are not taught to take action in
life --- just the opposite is true. Islam requires not only faith, but
action --- such as regular prayer, fasting and charity. To be more precise,
in Islam actions are part of one's faith. Islam total rejects the extreme
beliefs of some religions that teach that you shouldn't go to a doctor when
sick, but only pray for God to heal you. Islam's outlook is very positive,
since it teaches that human beings can take positive action in this life.
This was certainly what was taught by Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him,
to his followers --- since they obviously took the action of spreading Islam
from Spain to Morocco in a very short period of time. Even though Islam
teaches that God knows what human beings will do before they do it, human
beings still have free will. Certainly God, who is All-Knowing and All-Wise,
knows what is going to happen to everyone before it happens -- to deny this
would be a denial of God Himself. However, if human-beings did not have free
will, it would be ridiculous and un-just for God to demand that they do
certain things and believe certain things. Far from being "fatalistic",
Islam teaches that a human-being's main purpose in life is to be
God-conscious. Due to this, Muslims worry less about material matters and
view their earthly life in a proper perspective. This is due to the fact
that Islam clearly teaches that if people worship and depend on Almighty God
alone, then they have nothing to worry about - since God wants what is best
for them. True freedom, from the Islamic perspective, does not mean
aimlessly following all of your human desires for food, drink, wealth and
sex. On the contrary, freedom means being able to control one's base desires
and fulfilling them in a proper and legal way. This brings one's desires in
tune with what God wants for us --- only then is a person truly free!
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Misconception #9: The Islamic Threat
In recent years, a great deal of attention in the media have been given to
the threat of "Islamic Fundamentalism". Unfortunately, due to a twisted
mixture of biased reporting in the Western media and the actions of some
ignorant Muslims, the word "Islam" has become almost synonymous with
"terrorism". However, when one analyzes the situation, the question that
should come to mind is: Do the teachings of Islam encourage terrorism? The
answer: Certainly not! Islam totally forbids the terrorist acts that are
carried out by some misguided people. It should be remembered that all
religions have cults and misguided followers, so it is their teachings that
should be looked at, not the actions of a few individuals. Unfortunately, in
the media, whenever a Muslim commits a heinous act, he is labeled a "Muslim
terrorist". However, when Serbs murder and rape innocent women in Bosnia,
they are not called "Christian terrorists", nor are the activities in
Northern Ireland labeled "Christian terrorism". Also, when right-wing
Christians in the U. S. bomb abortion clinics, they are not called
"Christian terrorists". Reflecting on these facts, one could certainly
conclude that there is a double-standard in the media! Although religious
feelings play a significant role in the previously mentioned "Christian"
conflicts, the media does not apply religious labels because they assume
that such barbarous acts have nothing to do with the teachings of
Christianity. However, when something happens involving a Muslim, they often
try to put the blame on Islam itself -- and not the misguided individual.
Certainly, Islamic Law allows war --- any religion or civilization that did
not would never survive --- but it certainly does not condone attacks
against innocent people, women or children. The Arabic word "jihad", which
is often translated as "Holy War", simply means "to struggle". The word for
"war" in Arabic is "harb", not "jihad". "Struggling", i.e. "making jihad",
to defend Islam, Muslims or to liberate a land where Muslims are oppressed
is certainly allowed (and even encouraged) in Islam. However, any such
activities must be done according to the teachings of Islam. Islam also
clearly forbids "taking the law into your own hands", which means that
individual Muslims cannot go around deciding who they want to kill, punish
or torture. Trial and punishment must be carried out by a lawful authority
and a knowledgeable judge. Also, when looking at events in the Muslim World,
it should be kept in mind that a long period of colonialism ended fairly
recently in most Muslim countries. During this time, the peoples in this
countries were culturally, materially and religiously exploited - mostly by
the so-called "Christian" nations of the West. This painful period has not
really come to an end in many Muslim countries, where people are still under
the control of foreign powers or puppet regimes supported by foreign powers.
Also, through the media, people in the West are made to believe that tyrants
like Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Moamar Qaddafi in Libya are "Islamic"
leaders -- when just the opposite is true. Neither of these rulers even
profess Islam as an ideology, but only use Islamic slogans to manipulate
their powerless populations. They have about as much to do with Islam as
Hitler had to do with Christianity! In reality, many Middle Eastern regimes
which people think of as being "Islamic" oppress the practice of Islam in
their countries. So suffice it to say that "terrorism" and killing innocent
people directly contradicts the teachings of Islam.
dumb...@fishnet.com
Marwan wrote:
>
> In the Name of Allah, most Compassionate, most Merciful
>
> Misconceptions About Islam
>
Marwan,
I certainly mean no disrespect, but I think these lengthy posts about
your religion are a bit out of place here. I dunno, maybe you think
we're stupid enough to fall for the same trick twice. I doubt it. But at
least know that most of us out here are intelligent enough to research
alternative religions on our own should we ever become disatisfied with
the ones we have.
Thanks, folks, for the pointers about filters and such, looks like
they're going to come in handy real soon.
Dumbdrum
Sipish
>Marwan wrote:
>>
>> In the Name of Allah, most Compassionate, most Merciful
>>
>> Misconceptions About Islam
>>
>
>Marwan,
>
>
ok Marwan, we listened to your spiel , I only have one question for you. Whats
this got to do with commodity cheese?
Sipish
Tommy R.
Marwan <is...@localweb.com> wrote in article
<6lgltd$8...@nntp02.primenet.com>...
>
> In the Name of Allah, most Compassionate, most Merciful
I too agree with the others in this group. I don't think you are posting
in the right place. But being as this is a free country and my fingers are
not broken I can skip you messages and read what I choose. But I will read
the threads that are growing from your post. You are getting so GOOD
reactions :) So I guess you just post what you want and I can read it if
I choose to.
Golana
Marwan wrote:
>
> In the Name of Allah, most Compassionate, most Merciful
>
> Misconceptions About Islam
>
> Misconception #1: Muslims worship a different God
>
> First of all, there is only One God who created the Universe
Alright Already. Tell us something we,and every other person on the face
of the Earth Mother dont already know.Every
group,society,culture,individual,ect.ect.,has their owne way to
celibrate the almighty spirit.
I have NEVER understood WHY everyone thinks their religion is most
favored....that if you dont do it "OUR" way,you will burn in hell or
something!Is-lame(this spelling ok?)may suit the needs IN THE
MID-EAST,but NOT the rest of the world.
I beleive the way I do!Not YOU or ANYONE ELSE will change that!I am SO
SICK OF PEOPLE TRY'N TO CONVERT ME AND OTHERS!
NUFF SAID!
Golana
Peace Be With You
Jtop
Sipish, I think he's hinting around that he didn't get his share. Maybe everyone
should send him a supply for his own. BTW you might send him some of the butter
also. Helps the cheese slide down easier. Irma Jean
Sipish wrote:
> >Marwan wrote:
> >>
> >> In the Name of Allah, most Compassionate, most Merciful
> >>
> >> Misconceptions About Islam
> >>
> >
Jtop
Golana wrote:
> Marwan wrote:
> >
> > In the Name of Allah, most Compassionate, most Merciful
> >
> > Misconceptions About Islam
> >
> > Misconception #1: Muslims worship a different God
> >
> > First of all, there is only One God who created the Universe
>
> Alright Already. Tell us something we,and every other person on the face
> of the Earth Mother dont already know.Every
> group,society,culture,individual,ect.ect.,has their owne way to
> celibrate the almighty spirit.
> I have NEVER understood WHY everyone thinks their religion is most
> favored....that if you dont do it "OUR" way,you will burn in hell or
> something!Is-lame(this spelling ok?)may suit the needs IN THE
> MID-EAST,but NOT the rest of the world.
> I beleive the way I do!Not YOU or ANYONE ELSE will change that!I am SO
> SICK OF PEOPLE TRY'N TO CONVERT ME AND OTHERS!
>
> NUFF SAID!
>
> Golana
>
> Peace Be With You
Golana,
For what it is worth, I used to work in the local Regional Jail as a
rehabilitation counselor and ombudsman. When we had the islam people, along
with other religions, they would put on and shed the mantle of their
religion when it suited them. The mantle of religion went on when it
benefited them and they got special privileges like ramadan, and came off it
when it suited them. Their religion calls for fasting during ramadan and
they could only eat twice a day: sunup and sundown. Needless to say when
some of them saw other inmates getting fried pork chops, etc. and they were
hungry - they renounced their demand to be allowed to observe ramadan and
demand their trays with fried pork chops.
Irma Jean
Jtop
I stand corrected. Irma Jean
winema wrote:
> > Golana,
> > For what it is worth, I used to work in the local Regional Jail as a
> > rehabilitation counselor and ombudsman. When we had the islam people, along
> > with other religions, they would put on and shed the mantle of their religion
> > when it suited them. The mantle of religion went on when it benefited them
> > and they got special privileges
>
> As someone who has studied Islam, has been married to a Palestinian Muslim, and
> has ARab, Bangali, Sudanese, and Persian Muslim friends....I have to correct you
> on a couple of items, with all due respect, Irma. A person who observes the
> religion of Islam is a Muslim. It's incorrect to use the terminology "Islam
> people." S/B Muslims or Muslim people. As for Muslims "shedding the mantle of
> their religion" - this is not done exclusively by Muslim. It's also done by
> Jews, Christians, you name it.
>
> Fasting during Ramadan - one of the five pillars of Islam. Ramadan is the name
> of the month. A Muslim is required to fast between sunrise and sunset (it;s
> actually first light, which is dawn). Muslims are not allowed to eat, drink, or
> smoke and must refrain from sexual intercourse during those hours. All thoughts
> must be focused on Allah. However, the fast is broken with "iftar," the first
> meal after sunset. Muslims may eat through the night - the last meal being
> "sahour" - or, breakfast. Muslim are NOT restricted to only two meals during
> that time period. You can stuff your face until you explode.
>
> > hungry - they renounced their demand to be allowed to observe ramadan and
> > demand their trays with fried pork chops. Irma Jean
>
> Pork is "harrum" - forbidden, just as it is for Jews. Most Muslims do not eat
> pork (yes, some do). I will also say there are some differences in the Islam
> observed by African American Muslims and Muslims from the Arab world.
>
> I realize that these are some of your observations. But I wanted to get the
> facts straight. Unfortunately it's human nature, it seems, for many people to
> use whatever means to obtain what they want at the moment.