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US Soldiers tease Iraqi children: “You want water, come run for it.”

Author: MR
Filed under: Video
Date: Nov 21,2006 | 01:20 AM

May Allah have mercy on the children in Iraq! Ameen!

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92 Responses for "US Soldiers tease Iraqi children: “You want water, come run for it.”"

egyptchick7 November 21st, 2006 at 1:27 am
I am so disgusted right now it makes me sick to my stomach to have watched this. Really, May Allah protect and care for all the children in this unforgiving world, Ameen.
egyptchick7 November 21st, 2006 at 2:03 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXk1RhWp7t0

nah seriously this is a must watch!!! Simply beautiful.
loki November 21st, 2006 at 11:25 am
this is why people hate americans. i love the “bring our troops home safe” bullshit when this is what theyre doing while they’re away.
zs November 21st, 2006 at 11:29 am
The only thing more disgusting than this is egyptchick7′s posting. What was the point of posting that piece of propaganda garbage? Ugh, you make me sick. And please have more self respect for yourself as a woman instead of calling yourself a “chick”.
ummi November 21st, 2006 at 1:27 pm
Sister, egyptchick7 I am so upset by your video posting. One moment you say you are disgusted by what you saw the soldiers doing then the next moment you post a stupid video because I guess you like the music and the way the images are put together. What a piece of propaganda. Shame on you. Not just on you but this whole ummah. We don’t put thought into our emotions. People like your video because “oh the music is so nice, what wonderful lyrics, isn’t that sweet.” We fall into the hands of such nonsensical propaganda. May Allah have mercy on us and give us the ability to feel with our hearts, but think clearly with our minds, ameen.
Hamid November 21st, 2006 at 3:29 pm
I wonder what EgyptChick7′s motive was for posting that propaganda type video?? Does she have a relative “serving” in Iraq I wonder.
egyptchick7 November 21st, 2006 at 4:12 pm
OMG!!!!!

OKay guys wow I am getting a double lashing on both blogs. WOWOWOWOW. I did not in any means post that video as propaganda. I am not cynical and I truly do not think all the soldiers are like that in Iraq. WOW. And no I do not have a relative serving in Iraq and I am totally 100% against the war. WOW. I thought it would be nice to show a video of soldiers giving away toys? Showing that there are some decent people serving. Not all bad.

Wow for you guys to think that this is purely propaganda just shows how narrow minded most of you are. To think that all those soldiers are bad, omg I am so angry. Lets review:

I am Muslim born and raised here in the States.
I believe that the War is 100% wrong.
Many republicans have said that this attitude leads to unpatriotism. However I couldn’t be more patriotic.
I also Support our Troops and believe they should come home ( To stop doing the senseless garbage in the first video and also to stop being in an uneccessary war)
However, those you don’t support the troops, yet are against the war are really unpatriotic.

Yet, people fail to realize, especially other Muslim people, that the majority of the violence happeneing now ( Which of course started with our invasion but would have happened whenever Sadaam left power) is SECTARIAN!!! Sunni Vs. Shia. Muslim vs. Muslim!!!!! Right now, for this Ummah, shouldn’t we be more concerened with that??????????? I am not cynical!!!
egyptchick7 November 21st, 2006 at 4:15 pm
oh and zs Im not a feminazi and am not offended by the word ” chick” ….using the word hardly means I do not value myself.
Mujahideen Ryder November 21st, 2006 at 4:20 pm
egyptchick said:
those you donâ€™t support the troops, yet are against the war are really unpatriotic

to support the troops, mean you agree with what they are doing. to go against the troops would mean to go against what they are doing.

United States should come fight the war on poverty, AIDS, gangs, drugs, abortion, education, social security, budget deficit and anything else right here in America within the countries borders, instead of trying to “free” the Iraqi people.
zs November 21st, 2006 at 4:26 pm
It is propaganda, it is the very definition of propaganda. That video is disgusting and for you to put up that video in response to the soldiers teasing kids with water is also disgusting. None of us really thinks each and every solider behaves that way, we don’t need you to show us a propaganda video to prove that. You just don’t post a propaganda video in response to this evil behavior, it’s just plain wrong.
zs November 21st, 2006 at 4:28 pm
egyptchick can you please just go away, May Allah guide you, really.
zs November 21st, 2006 at 4:33 pm
The use of the word “chick” to refer to women, is demeaning, it really is. It’s sad you don’t realize that, but western culture unfortunately has fooled women into doing a lot of things that are demeaning to them, but western women don’t see it that way because they are in such a deluded state.
egyptchick7 November 21st, 2006 at 4:56 pm
to support the troops, mean you agree with what they are doing. to go against the troops would mean to go against what they are doing.

HOw wrong you are. There are sooo many people in this country so adamant against this war yet support the troops. My grandmother, who thinks Bush is the devil and the is 200% anti_war is for the troops. Did they ask for this??? ( Besides those who enlisted after the War began, which I think is a small percentage of soldiers)The are Americans like us and I am sure most of them do not like what is going on there and it is the higher ups like Rumsfeld ( thank god he is gone) that give them orders to kill.

MR:”United States should come fight the war on poverty, AIDS, gangs, drugs, abortion, education, social security, budget deficit and anything else right here in America within the countries borders, instead of trying to â€œfreeâ€ the Iraqi people”- I wholeheartedly agree with that statement.

ZS- ” None of us really thinks each and every solider behaves that way, we donâ€™t need you to show us a propaganda video to prove that.”

Yeah…it is such propaganda bc the media always potrrays the soldiers as good ppl. Gimme a break. MY ONLY INTENTION IN POSTING THE 2nd VID WAS TO SWEETEN THE SOUR TASTES IN OUR MOUTHS FROM THE FIRST VID!!!! NOT TO SPIN PROPAGANDA IN THIS BLOG.

Uhm ZS, telling me to go away and then for allah to guide me is just soo hypocritical its disgusting.

Egyptchick is a title I have held for years. I am not gonna change it now.
zs November 21st, 2006 at 5:05 pm
Why is telling you to go away then asking Allah to guide you hypocritical? I just find your views disgusting, but at the same time I have hope that Allah will guide you, in the meantime, go away !
zs November 21st, 2006 at 5:14 pm
Why do you say “most of the them do not like what is going on there?” Where is your proof of that? You just say things without providing any evidence. How do you know most of the soldiers don’t like that Iraq is in a shambles? From everything I see and read it seems like most soldiers over there take delight in making muslims suffer. I’m not stating that as absolute fact, but from what I see and read it seems like that, maybe you are reading different stuff. I don’t know why everyone picks on Rumsfeld as the big problem, I’m glad he is gone, but he took orders from the top, president bush. President bush is commander in chief, he gives the order to kill people. So rumsfeld is gone, whop dee do, the buck stops with the president, he is the one that is ultimately responsible for this mess.
Muslimah November 21st, 2006 at 5:20 pm
The faith of every believer will be tested. I cant believe how easy we have it in the west compared to these innocent children having to run for water. Astaghfirullah. I pray that Allah swt keeps the believers steadfast on their faith and never lose hope in Him. May Allah protect us all. Ameen
N November 21st, 2006 at 5:26 pm
I’ve been reading everyone’s comments, and it’s seems to me that no one is showing any respect to each other. As muslims, aren’t we suppose to help guide one another? so why is one individual telling another to go away? If someone has a difference of opinion, we should argue rationally and try to understand where the other one is coming from. I feel egyptchick just wanted to show how not all soldiers are the same. We can’t stereotype every soldier for a few of their actions. Telling someone to go away and hoping that allah will guide them is somewhat hypocritical because we as human beings and fellow muslims, should never turn our backs on one another. Even if we are having differences of opinions and questions certain things, we should learn from one another.
zs November 21st, 2006 at 5:37 pm
I stand by what I said, egyptchick was out of line, if you disagree with that ok, but I just think it’s really awful that someone sees this horrible video and then posts another video that paints a rosy picture of soldiers in iraq when the fact of the matter is, its not rosy. Egpytchick, I am not turning my back on you, I am just frustrated that you would post something like that, I’m just so sick and tired of people telling me stuff like that, that kind of video is like right out of a republican’s talking points. It’s all over fox news, how “great a job the soldiers are doing.” They aren’t doing a great job okay, they are there to kill people, plain and simple. That is a soldier’s job, to go and kill people, that is what they get paid to do and I don’t support that.
egyptchick7 November 21st, 2006 at 5:53 pm
Sorry ZS I am not a republican. I am a dem. However I believe posting my video was an attempt to be “fair and balanced” NOT in the Fox News sort of way but in what those words mean sort of way.
zs November 21st, 2006 at 5:58 pm
Well you are not fair and balanced, that video is a piece of garbage meant to incite sympathy for individuals whose job it is to murder people.
zs November 21st, 2006 at 6:01 pm
I didn’t say you are a republican, I said that video is out of the republicans’ talking points.
k9joker November 21st, 2006 at 7:27 pm
Hello, I am the author of the video titled “The Kids” which was posted on this site by Egyptchic. I don’t want to get in the middle of this argument, but I was asked to state my intentions for this video and I am here to do so. I am an American currently serving in Iraq, whose purpose is not to make propaganda videos for the Republicans. My team and I simply have a heart out for the many innocent children and families that are caught in the middle of the violence. The toys and goods given out are not govt provided items. They are personal belongings from other Americans sent to me to pass along to Iraqi citizens to put smiles on their faces. I know it’s not much and will do little to change the war, but if it makes one child smile it is worth it to us. With that being said… Let’s stop the arguing and move on.

Regards,

R. Phan
Baghdad, Iraq
CPATT Team Baghdad
k9joker@hotmail.com
zs November 21st, 2006 at 7:50 pm
If you have a heart, get out of iraq and stop murdering people. How arrogant you people are. If someone were to drop a bomb on your house and then if that bomber were to give your kids gifts, would you really care? Tell me, would you really care if you saw your family bombed to bits, but that army comes along and gives your kids gifts? “Oh thank you, I know your army just bombed the hell out of my city, but hey, thank you for the toys!” Yuck, your arrogance disgusts me.
zs November 21st, 2006 at 7:55 pm
Bottom line R. Phan, your military started this war, your military is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, your military made iraq into one big mess, you want to make a difference? Get out of iraq and tell your buddies to do the same.
egyptchick7 November 21st, 2006 at 8:07 pm
wow zs….you seriously have deep rooted problems. The hatred you have for US soldiers, is so uncalled for.

I would like to thank N for supporting me and for R. Phan to point out that this video was not propaganda material.

As usual ZS I will allow you the last word!
zs November 21st, 2006 at 8:15 pm
Ok everyone, you thought it was not right of me to tell egyptchick to just go away and leave, well it’s not right that she now tell me I have “deep rooted problems.” It’s not fair that those of us who were against this war from the very beginning to be called haters. Foreign troops in iraq should not be there, they should never have come there in the first place. The whole place is a mess now. I am against the occupation of iraq, the soldiers should leave, they should not incite any more violence, they should just leave. For these views egyptchick has the audacity to tell me that I am a hater. Unbelievable! I am a hater because I am against this war. Shame on you egyptchick, shame on you.
Mujahideen Ryder November 21st, 2006 at 8:15 pm
k9joker on November 21, 2006 at 7:27 pm said:

Hello, I am the author of the video titled “The Kids” which was posted on this site by Egyptchic. I don’t want to get in the middle of this argument, but I was asked to state my intentions for this video and I am here to do so. I am an American currently serving in Iraq, whose purpose is not to make propaganda videos for the Republicans. My team and I simply have a heart out for the many innocent children and families that are caught in the middle of the violence. The toys and goods given out are not govt provided items. They are personal belongings from other Americans sent to me to pass along to Iraqi citizens to put smiles on their faces. I know it’s not much and will do little to change the war, but if it makes one child smile it is worth it to us. With that being said… Let’s stop the arguing and move on.

Regards,

R. Phan
Baghdad, Iraq
CPATT Team Baghdad
k9joker@hotmail.com

Welcome to my blog k9joker. I really appreciate your care and heart for the Iraqi children, but what I want to know is if there are American soldiers who want to come home because they feel that this war is wrong.

to ZS: chill out mannn
zs November 21st, 2006 at 8:35 pm
Egyptchick, you say you are not republican, but you sure sound like one. You say that I am full of hate because I favor the withdrawl of american troops? Wow! I guess you would say the same of Rep Murtha, Rep Pelosi, Rep Kucinich, Senator Obama, and a bunch of other democrats. I guess they all hate america and the troops too, huh? Your opinions are truly disgusting. I was born and raised in the united states of america. I went to school here, made friends (both with muslims and non muslims), went to college etc. I have lived here peacefully all of my life and you label me a hater? I am so sick of people like you, egyptchick, who have the gall to tell me that I hate america or question my patriotism to this country just because I am against this war, that I am against the presence of our troops in iraq. The soldiers in iraq should leave and I am not alone in that view. I don’t live in nazi germany or some other faiscist state of mind you live in. This is the land of free speech. I have a right to speak out against this war. I have a right to say that our american troops should not be there, I have a right to say that they need to leave. I will not cower to your intimidation egyptchick. This war is wrong and you know it and the soldiers need to leave NOW. The suffering that the people of iraq are experiencing are a direct result of american military involvement. This is a great country because people like me, who actually care that innocent people are suffering because of the policies of this administration, have the right to speak out. You cannot and will not stop those of us who are truly against this war, who truly want a withdrawl of american forces. May Allah help the people of iraq, may He give them water and sustenance, may he lift them out of this disaster, may He stop those who wish to continue their war mongering and may He guide those who criticize peace lovers everywhere, ameen.
Mujahideen Ryder November 21st, 2006 at 8:55 pm
yo ZS: chilll outt mann

egyptchick wants the troops out of iraq also.

come on everybody, lets go eat some afghani rice and chicken.
egyptchick7 November 21st, 2006 at 8:56 pm
who said i supported the war? I support the troops and want them out NOW. I love Obama with all my heart…a brave man. You are totally misunderstanding me . My roomates ex-bf’s brother, who was Muslim ( Paki actually) died in Iraq. Is he a murderer too? Or should we not support him bc he is a soldier? Or support him because he is a Muslim?

You called the soldiers murderers and full of arrogance. If that is not hateful I don’t know what is….
egyptchick7 November 21st, 2006 at 8:57 pm
Thanks MR. I will have to say, although I am egyptian aghani chicken and rice can beat out “egyptian chicken and rice guy” anyday
zs November 21st, 2006 at 9:07 pm
It is my belief that the best way to support the troops is to have them leave iraq. Many democratic politicans share that view. Look everyone and MR, I’m sorry if I am getting emotional about this. But man… gosh… the people are suffering so much. How can your heart not ache when you see that boy running after that bottle of water? How many of us have ever been in that kind of situation? If I want some water I just go to the fridge. SubhanAllah! I’m sorry if I got carried away, but it hurts man… ok… it hurts me. Innocent people are dying. Innocent people are suffering. It’s not some movie, it’s really happening, right now, this instant. And why? Why? It started because bush sent our troops there. Bush and his murderous troops started this whole mess and now because some troops went out and gave some toys to kids that is somehow supposed to make things better? How? Doesn’t that seem somehwat arrogant to think that the army that started this whole mess thinks that by giving some toys to iraqi kids that they are making a difference? The troops should just leave and never return. I wish I could go eat some afghani rice and chicken, but when you watch this video,… man I don’t know, I can’t eat, I feel so sick.
zs November 21st, 2006 at 9:24 pm
In response to post #30…Even before this civil war started in iraq, hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians died at the hands of american military forces. How is that not murder? Isn’t “collateral damage” still murder just the same? Does renaming murder, “collateral damage”, somehow absolve the crime? So yes american military forces have committed murder, the soldiers are committing murder, and it is arrogant to think that the same military force that started this whole mess can “make a difference” by handing out toys to iraqi children.
zs November 21st, 2006 at 9:43 pm
Egyptchick, can I ask you this? All those guns, tanks, and bombers that the american military has deployed in iraq, is that all for fun? Are those weapons not intended to be used to kill muslims? Are those weapons just there for the heck of it? When these weapons are used and result in the killing of innocent civilians, innocent men, women, and children, is that not murder?
theone November 21st, 2006 at 10:09 pm
American Patriotism + Zionism + Greed + Hypocricy = The worlds problems today! “patriotic american muslim” please give me a break. what do you do? sing the national anthem and salute the flag before fajar salat? There is no such thing as Patriotism in Islam.
zs November 21st, 2006 at 10:14 pm
It is so disheartening and upsetting to see fellow muslims calling me hateful because I am critical of the american military presence. Those soldiers there are killers, that’s what they get paid to do. They use their weapons to kill people. That makes them killers. Many times they end up killing innocent women and children. That is not hateful, yet it is I, the one who is critical of these actions, I am the one labeled a hater? Unbelievable! That makes no sense!
zs November 21st, 2006 at 10:23 pm
Well there is no nationalism in islam, but patriotism is a different matter. There is nothing wrong with liking the country where you live and wanting what is best for the citizens of that country. The prophet loved Mecca and he wanted the best for it’s people. Nationalism is prohibitted because that infers love of one’s country to such an extreme that it takes precedence over the deen. And no I don’t sing the national anthem or salute the flag.
egyptchick7 November 21st, 2006 at 10:39 pm
the one….you are obviously not “the one” LOL…I CRACK MYSELF UP…to tell me that there is no such thing as an american partiotic muslim…although zs and I agree to disagree it seems we agree here that patriotism is a good thing esp when you live in this great nation!! Ugh…I am not a hypocrite by being a patriotic muslim….what about Keith Ellison…? Isn’t he a muslim-american patriot?
egyptchick7 November 21st, 2006 at 10:46 pm
MR:Welcome to my blog k9joker. I really appreciate your care and heart for the Iraqi children, but what I want to know is if there are American soldiers who want to come home because they feel that this war is wrong.

IN case he doesn’t check this blog again. you might wanna email him at the address provided.

Also, no soldier currently serving in Iraq can talk about their personal opinions on the war. But there are definitely many soldiers back home who oppose it.
http://www.ivaw.org/

Iraq Vets Against the War.
Yaser November 21st, 2006 at 11:52 pm
This may have been the most absurdly stupid tirade I have encountered in a while. Then again, I seem to comment only when that happens. Hehe.

1. May Allah Guide us All
2. If anyone has read anything clearly here, its that Egyptchick7 started out by saying that the video posted by MR was unnerving, hence establishing her stance on the issue. Her later video is just in my opinion an example that although nobody wants soldiers there, they are afterall human.
3. To say they are not human or each soldier in Iraq is a bloodthirsty hater of all thing that is Muslim is plain stupid. Yes, there are many stupid and inhumane soldiers, but at the same time not everyone is the same. By the same token not everyone who has taken the banner of ‘jihad’ this day and age is actually fighting for the right cause and instead is causing widespread carnage against mostly the civilian population around the world and barely engaging actual soldiers. But do we paint everyone with the same brush, no.
4. Some terminology mix ups. Support our Troops doesnt necessarily mean that you support the war, but it means you stand behind the soldiers. Unforutnately though, this statement still doesn’t validate her saying I suppport our troops because that implicitly means that you support their actions which in this case is killing/occupying. What everyone has agreed to is that the troops shouldnt be there, ie never sent over there to begin with. What to do with this outcome, Allah A’lam. If you leave them, it won’t help, but if they leave it’ll most likely get worse.
5. We should stop assuming people’s intentions and see the big picture at hand. We shouldn’t be angry that soldiers were trying to do a little good even if their basic job is fighting and killing, at the same time we shouldn’t label everyone as “you support murderers!” and such. Honestly, who supports murdering? Can’t anyone look into what people are honestly trying to say? The way of Islam isn’t to twist words and alter facts in order to suit some sort of apocolyptic scenario you wish to see in the world before you when people are still working hard for good.

If anything I said was right it was from Allah, and anything wrong it was from myself. Please keep me in your du’aa.
Yaser November 21st, 2006 at 11:53 pm
But back to the video. So disturbing. They are seriously mangled creatures, whoever those soldier are. May Allah have mercy on Iraq and guide us all.
Saad S. November 21st, 2006 at 11:59 pm
You want to support the troops…

Support the Soldiers of Jusitce and Haqq (the Truth).
Ahmed Zihni November 22nd, 2006 at 12:32 am
that kid who ran forever is mad cool. sucks that those other jerks took his water…

those troops were being mean. I hope they get punished when they do foul stuff like this (but I know they dont)
Yaser November 22nd, 2006 at 1:32 am
Agreed. I have no idea how he kept running. I would’ve stopped after…they started driving.
islam beauty November 22nd, 2006 at 8:26 am
that was disgracful wate those soliders doen to those kids, for gods sack their kids how have they got hearts to do that, thats wat u call ignirant **********, that video realy brok my haert, how can use muslim liders and people wach there brothers and sisters get treated that way, owr leaders need to open ther eyes walk up out of their ignerints and do some thing about this trable (i cant even find a word to discribe how aful it is about wats happening to our brothers and sisters in iraq, palastin, guntananmo etc, im fead up of waching things like that hapen to our brothers and sisters every day we need to do something about it but we cant couse our f**** leaders, they wont tack a move and they would not let muslim people take a move, wat is happpening in the islamic world now is discrasful but wat can we do, nothing much just give charity and do dwa for them,
may allah distrow the evil (army in iraq, jewish army in palastine) and give victury to the truth (islam and mulims)
Aysha November 22nd, 2006 at 10:14 am
Mujahideen Ryder on November 21, 2006 at 8:55 pm said:

yo ZS: chilll outt mann

egyptchick wants the troops out of iraq also.

come on everybody, lets go eat some afghani rice and chicken.

hahah lol..omg! i was in tearss when i read tht..it was soo random; yeyea thats us afghans for yu..make some damn good rice and chicken

omyAllah! this video was soo sadd; and i h8 just sittin here && watchin it, i wnna do somethin physical about it..haha i kno this is impossible but i wish we cud organize sum mass protest or sumthin to get those damn troops outta Iraq..may Allah have mercy upon the oppressed- Amin

Wasalam
Aysha
zs November 22nd, 2006 at 11:01 am
Yaser…

1. You are entitled to your opinion, but please do not insult your brother in islam by calling me stupid.

2. Nowhere did I state that the soldiers are not human.

3. Nowhere did I state that the soldiers are bloodthirsty haters of all things muslim.

4. What I did state is that the soldiers are paid to kill people, to kill muslims. Thats why they give them guns, tanks, and bombers. Guns, tanks, and bombers are not toys. They actually do stuff with those weapons. Ok try to follow me here…the pentagon gives weapons to soldiers to… KILL PEOPLE! Those soldiers handing out toys to kids, those are the same soldiers that use weapons to kill people. Thats what I was saying. Again, when an innocent man, woman, or child dies because of military action, whether the agressor is a muslim or non muslim, that action it called killing.

5. Now I thought about this discussion last night and I realized something very important. Surah 99, verse 7 from the holy quran… “Then shall anyone who has done an atom’s weight of good will see it.” SubhanAllah, the quran is the true guidance. I wish someone would have reminded me of this ayat yesterday to really knock some sense into me. So, I should have acknowledged the good the soldier did. That was my mistake. Allah recognizes even an atom’s weight of good, no matter who does it. I should have reazlied that sooner and for that I am deeply sorry. Allah please forgive me and I hope that soldier will forgive me too, and to egyptchick and everyone else I am sorry.
zs November 22nd, 2006 at 11:14 am
One last note, no one should misconstrue my words. I am definitely against this war and all of the foreign soldiers in iraq should leave right now because they are killers and murderers and they incite others to kill and murder as well. I do recognize however that even killers can sometimes do good things. May Allah subhana wa ta aala guide all of us and may He guide killers to stop killing.
Taalibah November 22nd, 2006 at 2:04 pm
May Allah destroy the ones who kill the innocent whether Muslim or non-Muslim. Ameen.
Saad November 22nd, 2006 at 6:13 pm
BismiAllah Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim

islam beauty on November 22, 2006 at 8:26 am said:

that was disgracful wate those soliders doen to those kids, for gods sack their kids how have they got hearts to do that, thats wat u call ignirant **********, that video realy brok my haert, how can use muslim liders and people wach there brothers and sisters get treated that way, owr leaders need to open ther eyes walk up out of their ignerints and do some thing about this trable (i cant even find a word to discribe how aful it is about wats happening to our brothers and sisters in iraq, palastin, guntananmo etc, im fead up of waching things like that hapen to our brothers and sisters every day we need to do something about it but we cant couse our f**** leaders, they wont tack a move and they would not let muslim people take a move, wat is happpening in the islamic world now is discrasful but wat can we do, nothing much just give charity and do dwa for them,
may allah distrow the evil (army in iraq, jewish army in palastine) and give victury to the truth (islam and mulims)

So true. Our Muslim leaders are part of the problem IMO. I know that it is tough to stand up against the militarily superior western countries, but Allah has given our Muslim leaders some power as well; namely oil, which is the lifeline of western countries and the world for that matter. I hope that the Muslim leaders, such as those of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan would talk more like the Syrian and Iranian leaders. I know that Iran are Shia, but at the end of the day, they are still our Muslim borthers, so we should support them over the kuffar. I just hope that Allah guides the Muslim leaders to care more for the Ummah by taking a much stronger tone and stance for our Ummah. Our brothers and sisters in Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Kashmir, etc. are crying out for help. May Allah help our Ummah.

Salaam
abir November 22nd, 2006 at 9:45 pm
Forgive my ignorance, but in relation to some points here about killing innocent people: In Islam and in the name of Jihad, is it also allowed and justifiable to kill innocent people during the suicide bombings? or anything of this sort of actions we read and hear from the news all across the globe?

Honestly, I am against killing innocent people, no matter what religion and faith they have.
abdullah November 22nd, 2006 at 10:17 pm
I soooo want to do the same thing to the soldier holding the water bottle and the guy with him. Those sons of b****s
R. Phan November 22nd, 2006 at 11:33 pm
Wow! I leave for a day and check this blog and see that it got even more bizarre with the comments. Lets keep it real fellas… I can’t speak for EVERYONE fighting in the war, but I will say that MOST of us Americans fighting in the war are not like that soldier in the video of poor taste. I am not impressed by those actions and would have seen to it that that sort of thing not have happened again if he were with my team. Unfortunately in this society the media and those who think it is funny post poor taste videos like that making ALL of us look bad, when in actuality it is a very very small number of idiots like that. Let’s be mature, objective thinkers here, come on? I proudly serve amongst thousands of soldiers who risk their lives daily to help the muslim world. Believe it or not, that’s what our soldiers do! They risk their lives and die for what our country believes is the right thing to do. It’s saddening that the resistance has made it so difficult, but come on??? Do you actually believe that we were sent here just to slay innocent people? It’s that naeve and narrow minded thinking that interferes with people like me that are trying to do a good thing for somebody that I don’t even know. I have lost many brother officers and soldiers thus far, yet we Americans keep our heads up and fight for Iraq despite attitudes such as many here. It’s just despicable to hear these comments! all I ask is that you keep things in perspective and not let the media and videos such as forementioned paint the entire picture of Americans. Until you are here to see just how brave and caring our men and women are for people whom they do not even know, you can never really know. Videos like mine of the kids are things that don’t make CNN, yet occur EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!! I fail to even mention the free medical care and millions of dollars our country has spent helping the innocent. Just show me/us a little courtesy and not criticise us all. Some of us gave some and some of us gave all… Respect the soldier and others here for making those sacrifices.

God Bless!

R. Phan

Baghdad, Iraq
CPATT Team Baghdad
k9joker@hotmail.com
battry_boy November 23rd, 2006 at 12:37 am
This is in defense and response to all those leaving messages on this blog. I am a personal friend to R. Phan. The difference between all of you sitting at your computer harrasing and complaining and doing nothing about the situation in Iraq and around the world is that your doing nothing about it other than complaining about it on a two bit website. He on the other hand is sitting in possibly the most terrible place in the world and he volunteered to go there. I read a comment “that video is a piece of garbage meant to incite sympathy for individuals whose job it is to murder people.” in respose to that I was one of the people who shipped toys to him to give to childeren and I take offense to the fact that I want those people murdered and thats why I sent those things over there. Many people worst enenmy is thier own ingnorance. So take a moment and stop being so synical. Take some time pray for those people over there that are trying to make a differece and if it makes you that upset that you keep posting comments then go and start trying to make a difference!, R. Phan did so instead of trying to knock him down blog him and say thanks for doing that and Iraq should have more people who care instead of the sick soldiers who made the above video.
Saad S. November 23rd, 2006 at 2:24 am
R. Phan on November 22, 2006 at 11:33 pm said:

Wow! I leave for a day and check this blog and see that it got even more bizarre with the comments. Lets keep it real fellas… I can’t speak for EVERYONE fighting in the war, but I will say that MOST of us Americans fighting in the war are not like that soldier in the video of poor taste. I am not impressed by those actions and would have seen to it that that sort of thing not have happened again if he were with my team. Unfortunately in this society the media and those who think it is funny post poor taste videos like that making ALL of us look bad, when in actuality it is a very very small number of idiots like that. Let’s be mature, objective thinkers here, come on? I proudly serve amongst thousands of soldiers who risk their lives daily to help the muslim world. Believe it or not, that’s what our soldiers do! They risk their lives and die for what our country believes is the right thing to do. It’s saddening that the resistance has made it so difficult, but come on??? Do you actually believe that we were sent here just to slay innocent people? It’s that naeve and narrow minded thinking that interferes with people like me that are trying to do a good thing for somebody that I don’t even know. I have lost many brother officers and soldiers thus far, yet we Americans keep our heads up and fight for Iraq despite attitudes such as many here. It’s just despicable to hear these comments! all I ask is that you keep things in perspective and not let the media and videos such as forementioned paint the entire picture of Americans. Until you are here to see just how brave and caring our men and women are for people whom they do not even know, you can never really know. Videos like mine of the kids are things that don’t make CNN, yet occur EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!! I fail to even mention the free medical care and millions of dollars our country has spent helping the innocent. Just show me/us a little courtesy and not criticise us all. Some of us gave some and some of us gave all… Respect the soldier and others here for making those sacrifices.

God Bless!

R. Phan

Baghdad, Iraq
CPATT Team Baghdad
k9joker@hotmail.com

Let’s keep it real? What reality do you live in? Reality is that US media protrays you like your doing Iraqi’s a favor by invading thier country and its totally justified because Bush said so. You don’t want Muslims to portray all US soliders as evil inhumane killers? Like the ones in this video or Abu Gharib Prison or the Haditha Massacre, or countless and not even heard of war crimes, yet the U.S. media correlates a Muslim to a Terrorist. Isn’t that hypocritcal?

Bush LIED about Iraq being an imminent threat to the U.S., LIED about WMD’s, LIED about the AL Quaeda connection. What’s your excuse?
I really would like to know? Enlighten me. It’s narrow minded to think that just because you handed out a few toys to Iraqi children the U.S. did something noble, while thousands of other children are being shot at and bombed on. Do not generalize this to ‘fighting men and women are doing this for people they don’t even know’ because you don’t know what other soldiers are thinking and what thier real motives are. Actions speak louder than words. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians are dead on a U.S. presidential LIE. Do you think Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld should be tried for war crimes?

So, the U.S. is spending millions of dollars on medical care. Why did U.S. destroy the country casuing billions of dollars in damage? Why does the U.S. murder innocent people and would you dare put a price on a life? Why is the US stealing oil which is Iraq’s natural resource and its billions of dollars? Why are US contractors bidding for billions of dollars in contracts in Iraq(ex. Halliburton)?
CNN is NOT network TV, it shows what other broadcasted Network TV stations do not. videos like yours are broadcasted. FOX would repeat your video every freakin hour.

Let’s put this into perspective. Every single day Iraqi’s are being killed. Most Muslims in Muslim countries do not hate Americans, they hate the U.S. Gov’t, U.S. Foriegn Policy in Middle East, and U.S. Soldiers and they are justified for doing so.

Any U.S. soldier that dies in Iraq, dies in vain.
Theone November 23rd, 2006 at 5:07 am
Why dont you bloody Americans get it. Your taking part in an illegal war and everyone soldier that dies in that war, dies in vain! For nothing! For squat! Nobody asked you to come to Iraq and nobody asked you to drop bombs on sleeping children. Every Soldier’s death is justified!!! There is no such thing as an “innocent” soldier. If you even had a shread of humanity in you, you would have refused to have taken part in an illegal war. Nobody wants you in Iraq, please, as if giving toys to kids makes a difference! Why dont you give them back their mum? Their dad? Their brother? Their sister? WHY NOT? thats right because YOU killed them, buthchered them to be precise and then you have the nerve to make these propaganda videos! You people make me sick! Words can not even begin to describe by level of disgust @ these “Patriotic American Muslims” who have sympathy for the soldiers. Would you have sympathy for someone who raped your mother? sexually abused your father? and took the life of your baby brother, a week old as he lay in his crib, sleeping? would you? and then you have the nerve to say that not all soldiers are like that, they probably aren’t, but then again they bombed 2 countries because of the alleged actions of a few “muslims”, well guess what not all muslims are like that either! So count yoursself lucky your only being vilified and not having bombs dropped over your head!!!!

My blood boils.
Mujahideen Ryder November 23rd, 2006 at 5:19 am
It’s all about OIL. If you deny that, then you’re pretty blind.
zs November 23rd, 2006 at 12:58 pm
I totally agree with posts #55, 56, and 57. Comments coming from R. Phan and battry_boy are truly disgusting, inhumane, uncivil, cruel, hateful, despicable, horrible, absolutely arrogant, down right unjust, and narrow minded. Handing out toys to kids is a good thing, ok I get that, that’s fine, but please let’s keep it real. The reason iraq is a mess now and the reason iraqis are suffering right now is because of the american military involvement. American military forces started this whole mess, they are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent children, women, and men.
Yaser November 23rd, 2006 at 1:08 pm
I apologize Zs for anything wrong I may have said. Forgive me everyone. Our arrogance gets the best of us at times. My point was stemming though exactly what you came the conclusion you came to, the ayah in Surah Zalzalah. Like I said, May Allah have mercy on us all, and guide us all.
Momin November 23rd, 2006 at 4:53 pm
this clip that is shown above is just sickening to me. As a 17 year old male in this country ive seen alot of sick things, but my Allah this has to be one of the worst. Inshallah, Allah will one day give beauty back to Iraq and many more Muslim nations like it. War is wrong period, but like..
Saad S. said

“You want to support the troopsâ€¦

Support the MUJAHIDEEN.”

this is true. Just wish we had those proud Ummah we had back then to stand up today.
Im just proud to be a Muslim with such rich history and background, but now its being demolished by todays ignorance.

May Allah bless all, Islam is the religion of peace, So lets support that.
sunnilink November 23rd, 2006 at 5:44 pm
Folks, lets give the soldier some credit for clarifying his position. It’s clear he is not out there intending to unjustly kill any civillians so don’t act immature and put words in his mouth. Fine, we all disagree with the war and Bush’s policies but lets not pick on one marine who in the end was trying to do some good and does not defend the evil acts committed by some of his fellow marines.

Having said that, I have only one thing to say to R. Phan, that it is extremely naive to think that you are out there to “help the muslim world” or anything like that. Many of your fellow marines and countrymen have realized that this war is not to “help the muslim world” rather the motive of the war is quite clear, its oil and some other things Bush and his cronies planned for. There are many people who are protesting. I suggest you join them and do whatever possible to change the course to bring the troops back home. Until a marine does not feel that this war is unjust, I’m sorry to say but the blame will lie squarely upon you for acts committed in your name whether you condemn them or not.
shab November 23rd, 2006 at 6:25 pm
zs, i completely understand why is s/he so heated up and passionate- i mean comon just look at the video, whose blood wouldnt boil? we should be as angry when we see muslims suffering in the hands of non-muslims. if such videos have no effects on us then there is a problem!
vero November 23rd, 2006 at 6:34 pm
SHAME SHAME SHAME

THAT IS REALLY LOW !
Rose November 23rd, 2006 at 7:00 pm
OMG How dare u defend the american military that is just azero of what they do there !

the video is just a disgrace for the americans and they still ignoring the fact and look at it as if that is just one marine and bla bla !!

what about what happened in “Ghareeb prison ”
what about the raping and killin ppl and children what we see in our news what they dont show u in america !

I swear if that was happening to the americans by Muslims it would be on TV and News all around the world ,that Muslims are Bad,Criminals, terrorists …and u know the rest !

but since they did it its nothing .. yeah NOTHIN to mention !

May ALLAH bring muslims heads back and destroy all our enemies Ameen ..
MR sis November 23rd, 2006 at 11:37 pm
I am an American Muslim, and i agree with battryboy. Stop wasting time bickering and argueing on the internet and get your lazy self off the computer, go to Iraq, and make a difference. Shaykh Hamza Yusuf once said, “Do not criticize anything if you yourself cannot change it. So until you try to make a difference in Iraq with your actions then you should speak.

1. Arguing is not a characteristic of a Muslim.
2. to Abir: Killing innocent people is forbidden in all religions. The suicide bombers do not act out of Islam but out of anger, ignorance, and frustration.
3. If you truly care about your dying Muslim brothers and sisters in Iraq, then get off your computer and pray. And after you pray, volunteer to help an antiwar protest. Or Join a humanitarian aid project and go to Iraq. Or become an antiwar activist. But for God’s sake, esp ZS. stop arguing!
5. Arguing is a desire of our nafs! The Prophet Muhammud, (peace be on him), said that the first person who walks away from an argument (whether he is right or wrong) gets a mansion in Paradise.

Fi-Amanillah.
Islam = Submission
The root of Islam is Salam
Salam = Peace
The root of Islam is PEACE
sunnilink November 24th, 2006 at 12:43 am
MR sis, You went against everything you mentioned in your own post. Let’s try to be respectful to each other, insha’Allah.
zs November 24th, 2006 at 2:30 am
MR sis, those of us who are against this war have a right to speak out about it. The prophet said that one of the ways we can go about trying to change things is with our tongue. I and others are not aruguing for the sake of arguing. We are stating that the war is illegal and that the soldiers should leave iraq right now. How dare you call me lazy? How do you know what I have and have not done? It’s a crime to tell others that this war is wrong? You want those of use who are against this war to shut up on here? Why? Why aren’t we allowed to say that this war is wrong and that the soldiers’ actions are wrong? How do you know that I have not been to an antiwar protest? How do you know that I have not been up at night praying for my brothers and sisters all over the world? How do you know that I have not been up at night crying for my brothers and sisters. How dare you! I agree with sunnilink, you totally ignored the very advice you sought to give, especially the 5th item on your list. May Allah grant you the guidance which you are so desperately in need of, ameen.
ummi November 24th, 2006 at 2:33 am
Comments like that from MR sis show exactly why this ummah is so weak. May Allah protect us from such troublesome people.
someone November 24th, 2006 at 2:41 am
Wow! Quite a discussion going on here! Bro zs, I totally agree with you man. I can’t believe the comments of egyptchick and MR sis, that is really shameful. MR sis, call yourself a muslim first and an american second. The fact that you label yourself an american first speaks volumes about how you approach this topic. Get your priorities straight, islam comes first, not your nationality or your nafs.
YL November 24th, 2006 at 2:46 am
This video is a new low for american troops, as if killing innocent people and raping 14 year old girls was not low enough. I can’t believe some muslims here are criticizing other muslims who are critical of american soldiers. MR sis, your comments are very immature. While your comments do hold some value you come up with the totally wrong conclusion.
peace November 24th, 2006 at 3:03 am
How horrible this video is! Subhanallah! How can people be so cruel to children! As for the discussion that is going on here, none of us is better than another person. MR sis… I see what you are saying, but I don’t think its so wrong for people to protest the war on here. People are frustrated. Maybe they are doing what they can, its not fair for you to be so judgemental. You say that arguing is not a characteristic of a muslim, but isn’t your comment a very tool of argumentation? May Allah help the people of iraq and may He help all the muslims around the world, ameen. May Allah guide all of us to the straight path, ameen.
Mujahideen Ryder November 24th, 2006 at 3:05 am
Dua: the greatest weapon of a believer.
my two sense November 24th, 2006 at 3:23 am
Battryboy was defending an american soldier. Basically battryboy was saying that R. Phan is not lazy because R. Phan chose to serve in the military and fight in iraq, thereby making a difference. Instead of being critical of the war, MR SIS defends battryboy. Huh?????? What?!? So a good way of making a difference and being pro active is to go kill muslims in iraq? That is messed up. This is an illegal war and america needs to get out of there pronto.
zs November 24th, 2006 at 3:31 am
May Allah guide me and everyone, ameen.
sobia November 24th, 2006 at 11:50 am
Why is it that MR sis, egyptchick, and others are so quick to defend american soldiers and their sympathizers and at the same time so quick to condemn fellow muslim brothers and sisters? There are muslims killing muslims in iraq, quite brutally, and that is horrible and sad. But what about the muslims that are fighting american forces? Why are you lumping them in with everything else that is happening? Don’t the iraqi people have the right to live in their country without the presence of foreign invaders? Why aren’t there more muslims defending these mujahideen? Everyone is so happy that the democrats won this election. A big reason they did win is because of the mess in iraq. But you know americans don’t care about muslims killing muslims, they care about their own soldiers. It’s tribalism at it’s worst. Their soldiers are dying, so now many americans are against the war for that reason. I know there are some americans who are against the war for other reasons as well, but they are classified as liberal nuts and cast away into the minority. The vietnam anti war movement didn’t pick up steam until the U.S. began to experience an increase in casualties. That war has sensitized the american public, they don’t want to lose a great number of soldiers. Most americans who are against the war just care about their soldiers. Do you really think Bush’s approval rating numbers would be so low if american soldiers were not dying? Come on, please. Let’s stop condemning fellow muslims. You know…MUSLIMS, who say “there is not diety, but Allah and Muhammad (saw) is His messenger” and who pray 5 times a day.
Nabila November 24th, 2006 at 11:59 am
MR sis you agree with battryboy? Wait let me get this straight, r phan (the u.s. soldier fighting in iraq) is better than the muslims who are criticizing the war on this blog because r phan is active and the muslims here are lazy? What? Did I miss something?
Truce ! November 24th, 2006 at 12:15 pm
Come on guys, it’s yowm ul jum’aa. Let’s come together for the sake of Allah and start the healing. Let’s call a truce, come on, whadda ya say?
zs November 24th, 2006 at 12:30 pm
Bro Yaser, no hard feelings. Truce, you are right. Walahi, I have purged my heart of all ill feelings, alhumdolillah. I wish everyone a happy jummah. Just a reminder, when you go to the masjid today, please pray for our brothers and sisters in Iraq and around the world. May Allah accept the salaat and du’aa of the muslimeen, ameen. I will adhere to the truce, I promise, no more comments from me(hooooorraaaaayyy!).
rahma November 24th, 2006 at 4:03 pm
The lesson here is that when you treat people with respect and kindness then they will be more receptive to your message.
egyptchick7 November 24th, 2006 at 4:06 pm
Oh thank god I wasn’t near a PC yesterday for I was eating turkey at my “white” grandma’s house. ( who hasn’t a pc). I am appalled that you ppl don’t read the lines of my comments and MRsis’s CLEARLY. Thanks Yaser for coming to my defense

OH yeah and Happy Thanksgiving.
Concerned Muslim November 24th, 2006 at 6:34 pm
So many people here are ignorant, Jesus Christ. (I know I’ll get chastised for the last two words of the previous sentence, but you can bite me.)

Go pick up a book and read for yourselves, what truly is going on in the world. I’m tired of being called unpatriotic, Mo-ham-ed, and other bs. I highly recommend ‘Confessions of an Economic Hitman’ by John Perkins and ‘The Fateful Triangle:…” by Avram Noam Chomsky.
Shaida November 24th, 2006 at 9:05 pm
how ironic, whilst we battle it out as to who is right or wrong, our muslim brothers and sisters are battling it out fot their very lives. Guys and galz, we have much much bigger wars to fight, lets not disunite at the 1st hurdle

Subhanallah This is why the muslims are so behind- shear petty-ness!
Hackstar Hero November 24th, 2006 at 9:23 pm
Egyptianchic is a lowly hypocrite. “I’m against the war but support the troops” my foot! Fourteen year old Abeer Hamza was gangraped and murdered by these evil thugs, who then went and murdered her entire family. “Oh here are some toys for the relatives kids, we’ll rape ‘em when they’re old enough.”
Bottom Line = American soldiers are terrorists.
Fatal Skillz December 1st, 2006 at 9:07 pm
hey what happened what i said, and you go Z’s, i’ll make the afghani rice and chicken and send it to you guys, I am Afghan and lovin it cause im practically black
lamb kabob December 10th, 2006 at 2:45 pm
To all those that support U.S. troops, you should not…

By THOMAS WAGNER, Associated Press Writer
Sat Dec 9, 6:46 PM ET

Iraq’s influential Association of Muslim Scholars and the country’s largest Sunni Arab political party, the Iraqi Islamic Party, on Saturday condemned a deadly U.S. military attack the previous day in al-Ishaqi village in volatile Salahuddin province.

The U.S. command said a ground raid and airstrike killed 20 insurgents, but local officials claimed at least 19 civilians died, including seven women and eight children.

About 1,000 residents of the predominantly Sunni village of al-Ishaqi held a funeral for the 19 dead Saturday, shouting “Down with the occupiers,” “Long live the resistance,” and “There is no God but Allah.”

The Association of Muslim Scholars, a group of hard-line Sunnis that opposes the coalition, issued a statement alleging U.S. soldiers entered two Iraqi houses, shot 32 civilians to death, including women and children, and then blew up the buildings to make it look as if the victims died in a U.S. airstrike targeting insurgents.

The Iraqi Islamic Party, part of a Sunni bloc that controls 44 of parliament’s 275 seats, made a similar claim, calling the attack “a new massacre by the American occupiers.”

Last spring, a U.S. investigation cleared American soldiers of misconduct during a March 15 raid in al-Ishaqi in which Air Force planes destroyed a building believed to be hiding al-Qaida in Iraq insurgents. Villagers claimed soldiers killed 11 civilians before ordering for the airstrike.
lamb kabob December 12th, 2006 at 3:59 pm
To all those that say they support the troops in iraq, watch this …

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=search_videos&search_query=islam&search_sort=video_date_uploaded&search_category=0&page=11

click on “soldiers beat iraqi kids”
lamb kabob December 12th, 2006 at 4:06 pm
Yet another video for all you troop supporters out there…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAKi_5ctMCo

Have faith and trust in Allah subhana wa ta aala, these thugs will be dealt with justly on the day of judgement.
Despair Not of Gods Grace March 22nd, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Despair Not of
God’s Grace
A Message to People of Faith
By Shaykh Abdallah bin Bayyah
Translated by Hamza Yusuf
In the Name of God, the
Merciful and Beneficent. Praise be
to the Possessor of the heavens
and the earth, the Living, the
Sustaining, the Omnipotent, the
Overpowering, the Merciful, and
the Gracious. With these Names
and Attributes, He revolves day
and night, encompassing everything with His Knowledge and Mercy.
Benedictions and solace be upon our master Muhammad, the
prophet and final messenger of God, and upon his brothers, among
the many prophets and messengers before him.
My friends and brothers, I greet you and express heartfelt gratitude
for your generous invitation during this particular time of pain
and sadness we all share for those innocent people of varying faiths
that were killed by an evil hand in New York and Washington. We particularly
appreciate and highly value the position that the highest
Church authorities have taken during this crisis concerning attempts
to use this tragedy as a Trojan Horse in order to attack the civilization
of Islam and to condemn Islam and Muslims, forgetting history as
well as the rights of ancient neighbors from both the Christian and
Muslim civilizations.
We all share in our condemnation of this heinous act of terror that
no sacred tradition sanctions, especially the religion of Islam. Reason
itself rejects this act of madness. It is nihilistic to kill oneself and to kill
others unjustly; thus, two grave wrongs were perpetrated on that day
according to Islam. While there are still ambiguous aspects to this
affair, and the realities of what took place have not all been made
apparent, we make it clear to you, in no uncertain terms, that if the
accusations are in any way true, then the Muslim jurists are the first to
demand the most severe punishments for these acts.
The Islamic faith considers the murder of one soul on a par with
This is a talk that world renowned
Islamic scholar Shaykh Abdallah bin
Bayyah gave shortly after September 11,
2001 at a meeting in Rome in
which many world religious
leaders participated.
seasons | spring | summer 2003 |
5
| spring | summer 2003 | seasons
6
killing all of humanity: the Quran states,
“Whoever kills one soul unjustly, it is as if he has
killed all of humanity” (Maidah : 32). This is
because a solitary soul represents all of
humanity in the beginning of creation and
in its re-creation as God says, “Your creation
and your resurrection is as one soul” (Luqman:
28).
Furthermore, the sacred law of Islam
prohibits killing animals and cutting down
trees without right. Our Prophet, peace be
upon him, mentioned a specific person who
was punished in hell for torturing a cat by
locking it up and starving it to death. The
Prophet, peace be upon him, prohibited
killing ants, bees, and frogs.
Tell me, how then could he
permit the killing of a
human being, whom God
has ennobled and dignified
over the rest of His creation?
“And verily, We have given the
children of Adam their human
dignity. We have carried them
safely over land and sea and
provided them from the good
things of the Earth” (Quran,
Isra : 70).
Islam is a message that
enjoins spreading peace toward those one
knows and those one does not know as mentioned
in the prophetic tradition. We are
here to extend to you goodness, virtue, and
love based upon our own Quran’s injunction:
“God has not prohibited you from displaying
all forms of goodness and equity toward those who
do not persecute you or drive you from your
legitimate homes”(Mumtahinah: 8). The conditions
set down here are not biased or
unfair. The first relates to the freedom of
religion and the second, the right to live in
security in a person’s own land. There is an
interesting point this verse highlights, and
that is the idea of treating all human beings
with equity. Qadi Abu Bakr, a scholar from
Spain from the 12th Century, explains that
equity in this verse means “sharing with equitable
non-Muslims a portion of one’s wealth as a
response to their good character and treatment of
the Muslim.”
In the Quran, God says, “You will find the
closest to the believing Muslims in love are
those who call themselves Christians. That is
because from among them are priests and
monks, and they do not behave haughtily”
(Maidah: 82). These are beautiful qualities
that God has described the true Christians
as possessing. The Quran says, “God
commands you to act justly” (Nahal: 90). Our
relationship with you is one of peace, virtue,
and justice. That is the position of Islam
yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
It is a principled
position that has no relationship
to the shifting
balances of power.
There is no denying that
we bear the burdens of a
shared history of past troubles
and the weight of
today’s problems, and if
God does not receive us
with His Grace, we fear
greatly the dark possibilities
of our future. Moreover,
there are biased interpretations and views
that some groups adopt in every faith and
religion which may reach extremes. It is,
nonetheless, possible for us to invoke the
relevant injunctions from our sacred scriptures
that are the closest to a global spirit of
cooperation and peace within the frame of
a culture of peace.
Our friends on the other side of the
Mediterranean must also help us with one
concept only, and that is justice. Justice is a
precious word to each of our faiths as well as
the rest of humanity in every time and place.
According to our faith, one of the Names
among the Names of God is The Just. We
have a sacred tradition in which God speaks
to all of His creation saying, “O My servants, I
THE PROPHET,PEACE
BE UPON HIM,
PROHIBITED KILLING
ANTS,BEES,AND
FROGS. HOW THEN
COULD HE PERMIT THE
KILLING OF A HUMAN
BEING,WHOM GOD HAS
ENNOBLED AND
DIGNIFIED OVER THE
REST OF HIS CREATION?
seasons | spring | summer 2003 |
7
have prohibited for Myself oppression, and I have
prohibited it for you also, so do not oppress one
another.”
We know that Infinite Justice is God’s
alone. Therefore, we have to analyze three
key understandings: my justice, your justice,
and Absolute Justice. We need to discuss and
come to an understanding of the concepts
that are shared and absolute between all of
the revealed religions using the tools we
have been given, including our intellects
and human reason. Indeed, as Aristotle
says, “The intellect is the most equitably divided
trait among humans.”
The explanation of justice that is most
shared among us is simply
this: an innocent person
should not be taken to
account for the wrongs of a
guilty person. This is a universal
principle that none
of us can debate. Indeed, it
is an Abrahamic principle
according to the Quran:
“Have they not been informed
of what was in the Scrolls of
Moses and Abraham who fulfilled
their covenants—that
one soul does not bear the
wrongs of another and that a human being has
only what he strives for?”
Another principle we all share is that a
man is innocent until he is proven guilty.
We Muslims call this principle original innocence
because we regard a human being as
basically good unless he proves himself otherwise
through vile actions as the Quran
states, “This is the inherent nature that God created
humanity upon” (Rum: 30). The Quran
also warns us: “Verify any accusations so that
you are not oppressive toward a people out of
ignorance, and then have remorse for the harm
you caused” (Hujurat: 6).
We must also work together to redress
the historical wrongs of the past and of the
present by attempting to find the shared
understanding that most approximates the
ideal of Absolute Justice, even if that might
insult my justice or your justice. For if we do
that, we can indeed overcome these trials
and deracinate terrorism, religiously
inspired acts of insanity, and reactionary
extremism within our midst. We must
expend our energies and enlist our scholars
and sages in coming to a just solution to the
question of Palestine so as to prevent the
matter from being left to people who have
lost their sense of balance or who actually
desire wars and conflicts. Indeed, peace is
not only the best of what is good for the
weak but for the strong as well.
In addition, we must not
allow special interest groups
that benefit from wars and
their consequences to
declare a war of civilizations,
especially between Islam
and Christianity. We prefer
peace and conviviality to
vying for civilizational superiority.
We must also make
serious efforts to come to a
precise definition of the concepts
and technical terms we
use, such as terrorism.
Unfortunately, a war over terminology can
lead to physical violence and actual warfare.
Frankly, many Muslims ask, “What do the
super-powers mean by terrorism?” They want
to know on what exactly is war being waged
before they board the ship setting sail to
wage war on it. In fact, they are afraid that if
they get on the ship, the captain might suddenly,
in mid-sea, turn and accuse them of
being terrorists! Is terrorism killing innocents,
destroying property, and threatening
people’s security? Or, is wearing a turban,
building Quranic schools, reciting the
Quran, and teaching people Islam considered
terrorism? Is legitimate defense of
your homeland and the attempt to rightfully
take back what was wrongfully taken from
WE CAN INDEED
OVERCOME THESE TRIALS
AND DERACINATE
TERRORISM,RELIGIOUSLY
INSPIRED ACTS OF
INSANITY, AND
REACTIONARY
EXTREMISM WITHIN OUR
MIDST
| spring | summer 2003 | seasons
8
you considered terrorism by he who has
wronged you? These questions need to be
answered and should be before any of us
gets on board with the captain of the ship.
We should also proclaim this century a
century of peace, development, religious
tolerance, and culture in order that humanity
may enjoy the gifts and blessings of this
earth which we share in the shade of our
Creator’s dominion until humanity receives
our master Jesus, peace be upon him. We
wish to be living in peace and prosperity as
he descends from his heavenly abode in that
wondrous and exalted state that was
described by our Prophet, upon him be
peace, when he said about Jesus,
He will descend from on high upon the
white minaret to the east of Damascus with
his hands in the wings of two angels. If he
lowers or raises his head, beads like pearls
fall from him. Any disbeliever who receives
a whiff of his breath’s scent will die, and his
scent reaches to where his eye leaves off.
The Antichrist seeks him out, and Christ
kills him at the gate of Ludd. He then wipes
the brows of some of those whom the
Antichrist had no effect upon, and he
informs them of their ranks in Paradise. He
then isolates himself with the believers until
Gog and Magog are removed. God then
blesses the earth, and it is said to the earth,
“O earth, bring forth your provisions and
fruits, and give again your blessings.” In
those days, many will eat from one pomegranate
and rest in the shade of its shell
(related by Muslim, part 18).
Another narration states,
“During Jesus’ reign, such security will
exists that a camel will graze with the lion
and the beast of prey with cows and sheep.
Children will play with snakes, and none
harm the other” (Musnad, 406:2).
Thus, peace is described in those days. So
let us ask ourselves this: Do we want to greet
such days in the shade of wars and conflict
or of peace and love?
Finally, perhaps we should listen well and
heed the advice of Prophet Jacob, peace be
upon him, when he said to his sons,
“O my sons, go seek out Joseph, and do not
despair of God’s Grace. For none but people
without gratitude despair of the Grace
of God.”
Let us then never despair of the Mercy of
our Lord.
GetJusticeorDieTrying March 25th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
I know that many troops are against the War but really they shouldn’t be there in the first place if they disagree with it and see its immorality, the exception would be if they turn against it after being deployed, it was based on lies people! To those who are against the war but support the troops, I see where your coming from but I support troops who are serving as peacekeepers as in the case of the balkans, Iraq is an entirely different conflict all together and is part of a greater war against Islam by neoconservatives and extremist Christians and Zionists, when these people repetedly use the term Islamofascism it should ring a bell. I’m sure if you guys saw some more graphic video’s posted by the military in Iraq you will change your views. Check out this Mosque being unjustifiably blown up in Iraq and read some of the comments closely, the internet is where people seem to express their true feelings so it should give us a decent idea of what people think about us Muslims. Just be prepared not to hear nice things:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=J6RbnNZivqo&feature=related

I’m a patriotic American Muslim but I will never be afraid to tell someone they are wrong even if its the Emperor of Rome himself no matter what. These are the qualities that make us Muslims strong, we should never let them go. We haven’t even spoken of the contractors that were hired in Iraq, they still have freedom to do whatever they want and it isn’t reported. I’m telling you war is hell, and men become monsters, the exception to this would only come from someone with strong, strong Iman who would fight his nafs and know that Allah will hold him/her accountable for their actions even if noone else will. I’m a strong supporter of military institutions but very few wars are justified and it is extremely difficult to fight them within the bounds of the Law.

Videos of marines (don’t forget their real name: professional killers) giving out toys to kids will not make up for all the bombings and killings and creation of orphans in that nation. Makes me wonder, how many of those kids lost a parent or family member in this war, will a teddy bear bring them back? Will it take the place of a mother or father who would have loved and cared for them the rest of their lives, I think not.

Indeed, May Allah Guide us all to be defenders of Truth and Justice no matter what the consequences or the odds against us.
aa1 May 28th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
i fully agree with zs’s objections and i am disgusted with the egyptchick’s brainless arguments and explanations!
Mercy Oceans June 2nd, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Asalamualaikum Brothers and Sisters

I would just like to state that I never reply or comment on any post, but as I was reading this post and seeing the controversial views, between Zs and EgyptChik, I believe Zs has a lot of hatred for the Americans for going to war on Iraq and quite frankly who doesnt.
I myself after watching the video really felt like going there to help the children somehow.

But I believe Zs should not critisize other people if he takes criticism from others so personally. Who are you to tell her that the word ‘chick’ is wrong. Chick is another word for girl, it has several meanings to the person. WHy does it matter to you?
“Ugh, you make me sick. And please have more self respect for yourself as a woman instead of calling yourself a “chick”.”
It honestly makes me sick we still have MEN in this world with such narrow minded thinking. There was no need to say such thing, you argument was about PROPAGANDA, not about her name :S. WHy does that even matter to you?

So what if she posted a video like that, there is some truth to that video. There are many soldiers and people there actualy HELPING people there. You can’t help ALL of them its common sense, its a war for a reason, they would help all of them if they could but they can’t.

So InshAllah you understand my point, and don’t take offense to any of this, but do not disrespect any person, and tell them to go away because they have different views from you. Respect and Love one another.

May Allah Bless You and Me and this whole Ummah
Yaseen October 13th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Quite an interesting read, I agree with everyone and I also disagree with some of the statements/posts I read///

To the soldier in Iraq, whether or not you believe in God or not, you will be accounted for Every Single Breath You Take , your words your actions….if your intention is good then it will sow a good seed, if you have a hidden agenda then the wrath of Allah will be on you…period.

Even a smile is charity so for you to do what you do (if the intention is right) is classed as charity irrespective of surrounding conditions.

Lets not forget people that A LOT of these ORDERS that are CARRIED OUT has been sorted from the big guys at the top!!!!

I am in no way down with the illegal invasion of Iraq, you should leave Iraq, break your leg or something and just get out. how can you sleep at night when you cold hearted wannabe hard boy trigger happy fools can kill openly, May Allah give you a vision of your torture in the hereafter, maybe that will knock some sense into u……..and then make you a true Muslim and repent Inshallah,……

for the soldiers……..study the history of your country, every rescension, every war, every ailment is a creation of your own, a specific agenda that is in place, that the EVEN THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR< THEY ARE MERELY SCAPEGOATS, PUPPETS ON STRINGS THAT READ OUT WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN GIVEN BY PEOPLE OF THE HIDDEN GOVERNMENT.

Then you will realise that you being there is a joke, thats why some people on here find you insulting, rude, patronising, abnoxios and most of all IGNORANT as you are blind to the agenda, you being there makes u part of the agenda so my sincere advice to you is educate yourself and then others and leave Iraq, and who knows the next I.E.D that goes off could take you and your team out….and do you really wana die like a disbeliever?

Love to all……….a friend from the UK