A NEW YORK-based imam declared in a a sermon this week that:
I want the American people to know: We love you … America, this is our country. We are with you.
Abdul Malik, who delivered his sermon to thousands of Muslims who gathered on Capitol Hill, added:
America is one of the best places in the world to live. What we have done here today we couldn’t do in any Muslim country.
Muslims gather on Capitol Hill
And he made it clear that Islam would seek to make converts.
America, I announce to you, it is my intention to invite your children to the worship of one God. It is my intention to remove every idol from every place – nothing physical. It is a confrontation of ideas, because, brothers and sisters, the most powerful weapon you have in your hand … is truth.
Although organisers announced on the “Islam on Capitol Hill” website their expectation of a gathering of 50,000, the attendance appeared to be no more than 7,000 to 8,000, according to this report.
The prayer event was an attempt to show Americans that Muslims do not hate the United States, an organiser told The Washington Post beforehand, referring to a perception shared by some in the aftermath of the Islamic terrorists’ attacks in 2001.
Christian fundies were less than enthusiastic about the gathering. Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council, said that while everyone has a right to gather in the nation’s capital, he and others were concerned about the focus of the Muslim prayers.
Perkins asked:
Are they praying for the wellbeing of our nation? There’s been a lot of silence in the Islamic community when America and Americans have been attacked by acts of terror from the Muslim community. We would hope that we would hear from the Muslim community that these acts of terror are not going to be tolerated, and denounce them.
Perkins further called on Christians to evangelize the Muslim community and to pray for their eyes to be opened to the truth.
That’s the only thing that’s going to stop radical Islam is the love of Jesus Christ and the Gospel that sets people free.
During the Sept. 25 Muslim event on Capitol Hill, some Christians gathered nearby to preach and share the Gospel of Jesus. Some spoke during the service by bullhorn from across the street. Others sought to share the Gospel with individual Muslims. Some gathered in prayer for the salvation of Muslims.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
September 30th, 2009 at 11:03 am
If only we atheists were not so rationally "live and let live", we could "evangelize the Muslim/Christian/etc. communities to pray" for their eyes to be opened to the real, verifiable truth.
September 30th, 2009 at 11:46 am
The funniest thing about that Malik speech is it reads word for word like something Knox or Calvin could have preached.
If the FRC were better read on the history of their own silly cult they might have noticed that!
September 30th, 2009 at 11:55 am
Reason would tell you that when two opposing views collide, in this case both sides claiming the "truth", that the logical outcome is that neither is true, since both cannot be true.
The truth is what your holy book says it is……and therein lies the problem…….."dogma". Never mind seeking out or trying to determine if what is in your holy book can actually be supported by any measure of reason no matter how weak …..you simply indoctrinate children with it to "believe" and they most likely will remain indoctrinated and pass it on to others ….religion is a disease of the mind and difficult to cure, . ….. …Hitchens is correct …religion poisons everything.
September 30th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
It's the "My god is bigger than your god" show! Don't you just love to see both cults trying to covert each other? If only these people would abandon their childish dogma and try to get along with everyone else, the world would be a better [and safer] place.
September 30th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
So they love America so much that they want to overthrow all its cherished beliefs and replace them with their own! How odd!!
September 30th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
This is the critical bit
September 30th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
"We love your country and we're here to ruin it."
September 30th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
We Muslims love America so much that we'll push our 'truth' down your unbelieving throat. I'm glad the FRC was there to defend the other 'truth'. Too bad they both look like the same kind of bull-shit to me.
September 30th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
I did notice that, Brian. They also admire this country that they're in so much that they want to destroy the very freedoms which enable them to demonstrate in the way that they do! Can they seriously not see the illogicality of all that they are saying here?
September 30th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
YOU CAN'T BOTH BE RIGHT! This perfectly illustrates the problem with religious dogma.
September 30th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Of course not!
They believe in an imaginary friend, which happens to be one of the most blood thirsty assholes on the planet; Yet they claim their "friend" is a peace-loving entity. Another illogical thing is that they believe other gods are false or they dont exist…. yet if we use the same argument they use against the other gods on Allah…
For me, that is the biggest fact of why I don't take them seriously. Their love is for islam first, and then the US. If islam happens to say US is the great enemy, they will attack.
September 30th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
Oh, and BTW…Happy Blasphemy Day, everybody!!!
http://www.blasphemyday.com/
I'm just off to do a bit of holy-spirit denying…
Oh, and Allah and Mohammed can fuck off, as well.
September 30th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Strange that a right-wing Christian group should hide behind the banner of "Family Research Council", whatever that might mean. Defending the Family and State – does that remind you of any other right-wing groups of modern times?
September 30th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
So, Tony Perkins is "President" of the "Family Research Council." What is their "research"? Is it scientific? One would assume that the "President" of a research facility would most likely have a PHD in some sort of science from an accredited institution, right? Oh, wait. He has a degree from that bastion of scientific progress, Liberty University. And an MBA.
So, one charlatan is calling out another charlatan, Abdul Malik? We talking of religious matters here????
September 30th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
"Liberty University" ? Say no more!
September 30th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Let's let Islam spread in the US because of the toleration granted here… and then let Islamic intolerance become the law of the land…..
To my mind, that is the saving grace of Christianity. Christianity, whilst stupid and illogical, is not (I know there are plenty of counter-examples, Jesuits for instance spring to mind, the Inquisition, current efforts against AIDS, condoms, etc.) generally now actively murdering people like Islam is. I can deal with a bunch of holier-than-thou asses who want to preach their vitrol easier than I could deal with a bunch of fanatics who want to murder me for not being Islamic.
I have believed for a long time that Islam is where Christianity was at during the Crusades–still in the Dark Ages. The only difference I see is that the terrorists of today can kill a lot more people–the mindset is still the same, however.
September 30th, 2009 at 10:43 pm
The supreme piety and cynicism of both religions once again magnified by a clash between them. It is morbidly fascinating how both sides attempt to dress up their fight for dominance as concern for each other rather than concern for themselves.
Muslims – We love the USA, we love Americans, oh yeah!… but please all convert to Islam, it'll just be better that way.
Christians – People worshipping a god other than ours? Quick, to the Salvation-mobile!
September 30th, 2009 at 11:57 pm
The Muslims are over here wanting to convert all the Americans, and the Christian soldiers are occupying Iraq hell-bent on the notion of converting all the Muslims. Meanwhile both factions are crying that they're under attack by the other. What an astounding clusterf*ck.
October 1st, 2009 at 6:45 am
My god's nastier than your god, nyaa nyaa!
Actually, don't Muslims and Christian and Jews all have the same sky daddy? And they all hate women? And they all think sex is dirty? And they all hate people with different sky daddies? So why can't they get on together?
Really, they could get together and gang up on the rest of us. Just as well they don't.
October 1st, 2009 at 6:58 am
Just shows what happens when people start taking their instructions from "God".
October 1st, 2009 at 8:28 am
“It is a confrontation of ideas, because, brothers and sisters, the most powerful weapon you have in your hand … is truth. ” The truth is a double edged sword, but fortunately the sharp side is the 21st century education side, not f the first millennium mythos. The very best way for Muslims to convert America is to get a proper scientific education and then spread the word to the rest of the Muslims and theists who cling to their mythical creatures and unfounded “beliefs”. There's a reason why nearly all scientists are atheists and the real fact taht theism drops away with level of education and it's nothing to do with belief or religious “truths”.
October 1st, 2009 at 8:00 am
………..get together and gang up on the rest of us. Well in a way they do, as the religious are united in their hatred of non-believers and gay people. Apparently, we atheists and gays are responsible for the end of civilisation.
October 1st, 2009 at 8:28 am
I never tire of quoting Susan B. Anthony in matters such as this:
"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do, because I notice it always coincides with their own desires. "
October 1st, 2009 at 8:40 am
Of course. "The Lord's will" just means "what we think is right"! It's like all that twaddle about being "called to missionary service". It's something that they desperately want to do, so they immerse themselves in it, and pray about it night and day, telling everyone that "The Lord has really laid this upon my heart", until everyone is convinced that it is God who is urging them to go down that route. I saw it all the time when I associated with these people, and, being a more rational and logical person, it always appeared bogus to me!!
October 1st, 2009 at 10:09 am
“It is a confrontation of ideas, because, brothers and sisters, the most powerful weapon you have in your hand … is truth.”
Funny he just made th eperfect argument for atheism. Oh and an argument as to why people should not listen to him? And these people claim to be moral and sane. In my opinion noone is classically sane but these guys surely take the cake at insanity.
October 1st, 2009 at 3:12 pm
It is a shame that these two groups can't see what they look like from the outside of their loopy clubs. Two sets of believers in fairy tales each claiming that their's is true and the other false and each insisting that the other lot would benefit from swopping sides.
October 2nd, 2009 at 12:46 pm
Calvin and Knox were fascists, Stuart H. Just look at their views on society, and at the appalling human rights abuses under John Calvin. And if you read Martin Luther's utterances you will find that, had he had the political power which Calvin achieved, he would have quite easily trumped even that megalomaniac for sheer barbaric cruelty! All these religious dictators are cast in the same mould!!
October 2nd, 2009 at 12:46 pm
Ha!Ha!Ha!
October 2nd, 2009 at 11:08 pm
Back in 1883 Edwin Abbott wrote 'Flatland'. He uses it to give an understanding of contiguous geometric worlds, each existing at a higher level of dimensions. Today 'Techie Worlds' is available. Written for people with a mechanistic understanding of our world, it looks at ridiculous Christian teachings, such as Trinity, soul, resurrection and judgment. In so doing, 'Techie Worlds' follows science's lead in examining phenomena in the light of theory. Contiguous dimensional worlds provide a logical, mechanical explanation for those phenomena.
So an intelligent, intellectually honest and open-minded person has excellent reason to hold religious views. In the light of Pascal's wager, people would be foolish to deny Christian teaching or to hold Moslem or pagan beliefs.
'Techie Worlds, Visible & Invisible' is available from http://www.amazon.com.
GeorgeRic
October 11th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Dear brothers I was able to Read some of what is written in your comments
What I can say is.
Search for the truth to rid yourself of all doubts, we Muslims are not enemies, but denied it from hostile to Islam. America is a peaceful people, but I see from your government are and where is the freedom which they gave you.
Is it freedom or destruction?
The simple phrase that deserves attention
American people are the tools used by some religions to fight Islam
But their fate will not Inalo
January 20th, 2010 at 8:32 am
I never tire of quoting Susan B. Anthony in matters such as this:
“I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do, because I notice it always coincides with their own desires. “:
It’s not the case with Islam because it would be tantamount to the most grevious sin in Islam-that of Shirk, that is, to deify anyone else apart from Allah. To follow your own desires is to deify your Hawa besides Allah.
Allah says,”Araayta mani ittakhatha ilahahu HAWAhu:Hast thou ever considered [the kind of man] who makes his own desires his deity?”
Aayah 43
Soorah Al-Furqan[The Standard]
http://honorablequran.com/25.htm
Lo! Allah forgiveth not that a partner should be ascribed unto Him. although He forgives any lesser sin unto whomever He wills. Whoso ascribeth partners to Allah, he hath indeed invented a tremendous sin.
Aayah 48
Soorah An-Nisaa[The Women]
http://honorablequran.com/4.htm
One of the fundamental principles of Fiqh:the science of legislation or jurisprudence in Islam, is that every human being can know and verify what Allah wants. Fiqh literally means Understanding or Insight.
Rasoolullaah(s.a.a.w.s.) had said,”Man yuridillaahu bihi KHAIRan yuFaQqiH-hu fi d-DEEN”
When Allah wants/wills/intends Khair(Good)for someone, He makes him understand/bestows him with an understanding/insight or Fiqh in Deen(religion)
It should be noted that what Deen means to a Muslim is different from what religion stands for in Western societies, and this concept explains the spiritual survival of Islam despite the Godless onslaught that emerged in Christendom.