Moderate Muslims? Maybe.

PZ Myers found this thought-provoking cartoon and posted it on his blog; I, of course, had to reproduce it here.  It's not fair to say that all Muslims react or feel the same as depicted in the cartoon, but it is safe to say that there is a segment of the Muslim population that does.

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Guantanamo Bay Prisoners Speak

What do you think?

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Theo Van Gogh's Submission

Submission is a 10-minute film directed by Theo van Gogh and written by Miss Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Liberal party member of the Lower House of the Netherlands Parliament.

The film seeks to highlight the mistreatment of women born to Muslim families. The film was shown on the Dutch public broadcasting network (VPRO) on August 29, 2004. The film displays the bodies of Muslim women who have been beaten. The bodies are used in the film as a canvas for verses from the Quran used by Muslim men to determine husband-wife relations. The women include one that suffers wife beating and one that is raped by her uncle.

The film is controversial (http://www.religionnewsblog.com/8840-.html). According to Mohammed Sini of the Islamic and Citizenship Foundation, the film is offensive to Muslims, stating: "If there is a reaction, Theo van Gogh will have to protect her (Ayaan Hirsi Ali)." The film was dismissed by Nabil Marmouch, the Dutch representative of the Arab Europe League, who said, "I know what she is up to with this film. She wants extra security and she wants others to feel sorry for her. She is simply looking for attention."

A Labour Party member of the Lower House of the Netherlands Parliament, Mrs. Khadija Arib, said, "I admire anyone who wishes to point out that the mistreatment and oppression of women is an evil. I question, however, whether this is the right way to do it. I am truly concerned that Hirsi Ali simply wishes to be confrontational when presenting others with this message."

Later, Theo Van Gogh was murdered for making this film and Ayaan Hirsi Ali has around the clock security as she has had her life threatened.

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(Source: http://www.submission.eu.tt/ )

United Nations On Free Speech = The Lose

I am sooooooo irritated at the moment that I don't have much to say (see the video below). Except, let the U.N. know how you feel, and if you do, be respectful when you do. But other than that, blaspheme every religion you can, cause that is protected speech........the first amendment, isn't it GREAT!! In matter of fact, I am going to blaspheme right now. I will be doing this by displaying a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed.

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I LOVE FREE SPEECH!!!!!

Ethanol a Sin??

Sure glad I'm not a practicing Muslim, though I don't use ethanol either, so for me it's a wash. But this is just weird. A Muslim cleric has decided in his own opinion (I guess this isn't official doctrine) that buying or using ethanol is a sin. Check out the story below.

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Reposted From: http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1019096_islamic-scholar-suggests-using-ethanol-powered-vehicles-may-be-a-sin

Islamic Scholar Suggests Using Ethanol-Powered Vehicles May Be a Sin

By John Voelcker, Editor-in-Chief, February 26th, 2009

Wow. As if the debate around using ethanol to fuel cars weren't already complicated enough, now an Islamic scholar has suggested that driving or even riding in a vehicle fueled by ethanol could be considered a sin for observant Muslims.

The opinion comes from Sheikh Mohamed al-Najimi, of the Islamic Jurisprudence Academy in Saudi Arabia. It is based on the part of Islamic law derived from a statement by the prophet in which dealing with alcohol in any form--including purchase, sale, transport, consumption, and manufacture--is strictly prohibited.

The sheikh urged that the issue of ethanol-powered vehicles should be studied by Islamic religious scholars, and stressed that the statement was not a fatwa but simply his own opinion. He noted that any ban would extend beyond Islamic countries to cover observant Muslims in other countries. This might include tourists, students abroad, and other groups.

The pros and cons of ethanol as a vehicle fuel are far too lengthy to cover in this post, so we're offering just a few high points here.

PROS:

- Ethanol can be made from various plants that pull carbon dioxide from the air as they grow, so burning it just returns that CO2 to the atmosphere, cutting net CO2 emissions.

- Plants can be grown in the United States, so vehicle fuel could be domestically produced, displacing imported petroleum.

- Ethanol blends with gasoline, as in the E85 that's sold at a few hundred Midwestern gas stations.

CONS:

- Producing ethanol from corn, as we do in the US, is the least efficient way to "grow fuel". The sugar cane used in Brazil provides twice as many gallons per acre, and the real productivity lies in other forms of biomass like switchgrass--none of them anywhere close to volume production.

- The "wells to wheels" energy balance of ethanol needs to be carefully assessed, since industrialized agriculture emits large amounts of CO2 and ethanol distilling uses lots of fresh water.

- Ethanol has to be sold within about 300 miles of where it's refined, and must be trucked rather than sent through petroleum pipelines.

- The "Flex-Fuel" vehicles produced by domestic carmakers are considered by many analysts a scam to meet CAFE mileage laws via additional credits for flex-fuel ability. Most of those vehicles will only ever burn gasoline, and many owners have no idea their cars can run on E85.

The ethanol debate will rage for years to come, but clearly this new wrinkle adds yet another concern for drivers who are also observant Muslims.

Punsihment of a young boy in Iran (E-mail)

There is an email going around that shows several pictures of a young boy getting his arm run over by a car. He was receiving this punishment because he supposedly stole something from the marketplace because he was starving.

The actual email opens with these lines:

An 8 year old starving child caught stealing bread in a market of Iran is punished in a public place, in the name of Islam!!!

His arm will be crushed and will lose its use permanently.

A religion of peace and love, they say?

How can anyone believe them when they commit such inhuman acts?

And the email ends with:

Spread this example of peace
and love of Islam to your friends !!

This is an obvious propaganda piece that has no factual basis (at least in this particular instance, but that is another discussion that if anyone here wishes to indulge in, I will happily do so.). A two second Google search leads you to find out that this is merely a street performance. Like us here in America (you know us, we are always right about everything!), they have street performers and magicians. I beseech you, please do not spread this anti-Islamic propaganda around the internet. Let us bridge the gap of ignorance so that we may reach a place of coexistence and understanding.

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