Why Do Americans Still Fear Muslims?
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The September 11th attacks took place over a decade ago. In the wake of the attacks, it was somewhat understandable (if not excusable) for many Americans to be afraid of Islam and those that practice it. A terrible thing happened, and there was an enemy targeting the country through unclear means. People heard about groups of anti-American Muslims living in America and planning attacks. It's no wonder people got scared.
But it was ten years ago. In that time, we've seen that the vast majority of Muslims don't want to strap on bombs and blow up buildings, especially Muslims living in America. Most of them just want to be Americans, doing the same things other Americans do. Furthermore, some of the terrorists that have planned attacks have been white, seemingly inseparable from the "normal" and "Christian" Americans that walk the streets with no plans for violence.
Most Muslims don't want to start a war. Some terrorists that do want a war are not from the Middle East. So why do so many Americans still think of dark-skinned people that praise Allah as violent terrorists?
On the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, there were cases of people being escorted off of planes and questioned by the police. These people appeared to be "foreigners," and they were questioned because their presence had made some people "uncomfortable." Planned mosques have been attacked and protested by those that, for some reason, don't want a mosque near them. There are people and newspapers out there that talk about a "Muslim plot" to destroy America or Christianity or both.
This is ignorance, plain and simple. Where does it come from?
Now, I don't want to discuss the tenets of Islam. Overwhelming evidence shows that it is not a violent religion and that most of its practitioners are not violent and do not desire violence. Christianity is the same way; quotes can be pulled up that make each religion seem violent, and individuals can be brought up that make practitioners seem violent, but in the end, both Christianity and Islam are not violent religions, not in this day and age and especially not in the United States.
I want to discuss why so many people fear Islam and Muslims and why the ignorance continues to be propagated.
But it was ten years ago. In that time, we've seen that the vast majority of Muslims don't want to strap on bombs and blow up buildings, especially Muslims living in America. Most of them just want to be Americans, doing the same things other Americans do. Furthermore, some of the terrorists that have planned attacks have been white, seemingly inseparable from the "normal" and "Christian" Americans that walk the streets with no plans for violence.
Most Muslims don't want to start a war. Some terrorists that do want a war are not from the Middle East. So why do so many Americans still think of dark-skinned people that praise Allah as violent terrorists?
On the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, there were cases of people being escorted off of planes and questioned by the police. These people appeared to be "foreigners," and they were questioned because their presence had made some people "uncomfortable." Planned mosques have been attacked and protested by those that, for some reason, don't want a mosque near them. There are people and newspapers out there that talk about a "Muslim plot" to destroy America or Christianity or both.
This is ignorance, plain and simple. Where does it come from?
Now, I don't want to discuss the tenets of Islam. Overwhelming evidence shows that it is not a violent religion and that most of its practitioners are not violent and do not desire violence. Christianity is the same way; quotes can be pulled up that make each religion seem violent, and individuals can be brought up that make practitioners seem violent, but in the end, both Christianity and Islam are not violent religions, not in this day and age and especially not in the United States.
I want to discuss why so many people fear Islam and Muslims and why the ignorance continues to be propagated.
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Not to answer so bluntly, but you sort of answered it yourself.
The fear, loathing and hatred are still around because those things ARE still being propagated.
The fear, loathing and hatred are still around because those things ARE still being propagated.
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I'm not saying you were wrong to do this, but you consistently referred to only most muzlums,
The reason people fear muzlums is because of that small amount of radicals that violently attack and kill non-believers. You might say "other races/religons sometimes (but rarely) kill people, but people aren't afraid of them". This is a valid point, and it is unfair, but the reason people fear muzlums is that they think The quran tells muzlums to kill non-muzlums. I have not extensively studied this, so I do not know if it's true. whether it's true or not doesn't change the fact that lots of people think it's true; because of this, they fear muzlums.
K-1 wrote...
the vast majority of Muslims... Most of them... Most MuslimsThe reason people fear muzlums is because of that small amount of radicals that violently attack and kill non-believers. You might say "other races/religons sometimes (but rarely) kill people, but people aren't afraid of them". This is a valid point, and it is unfair, but the reason people fear muzlums is that they think The quran tells muzlums to kill non-muzlums. I have not extensively studied this, so I do not know if it's true. whether it's true or not doesn't change the fact that lots of people think it's true; because of this, they fear muzlums.
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It is because of radicals. The few actions of radicals give people the wrong impression of the Muslim people and the Islamic faith, most people are too narrow minded to look at the big picture and just watch what's on the news in media and take it in as how the reality is.
It's like anime, most people see a big name title like Pokemon and generalize all anime to be the same, bug-eyed flashy cartoons.
It's like anime, most people see a big name title like Pokemon and generalize all anime to be the same, bug-eyed flashy cartoons.
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There are a hand full of Muslims that will openly say their extremist beliefs just like the extremist Christians
Stuff like they want to see our country torn down and for there to be a new Muslim state with Muslim law. I've heard that said in Britain by a mix of white and foreign Muslims.
Never seen or heard of it in Britain but the typical gay bashing to the extreme that I've heard of in the US by Christians
Though neither are violent in their actions but the words are violent. So it is understandable that people would hate or be afraid of them.
Would it be considered ignorant if a Muslim was to shake my hand with their left the hand that they will only use for the unclean people (typical of extreme beliefs) and I then refused to shake his left hand?
Though he's being disrespectful to me I feel because of his religion I would be the bad guy for not respecting it.
Stuff like they want to see our country torn down and for there to be a new Muslim state with Muslim law. I've heard that said in Britain by a mix of white and foreign Muslims.
Never seen or heard of it in Britain but the typical gay bashing to the extreme that I've heard of in the US by Christians
Though neither are violent in their actions but the words are violent. So it is understandable that people would hate or be afraid of them.
Would it be considered ignorant if a Muslim was to shake my hand with their left the hand that they will only use for the unclean people (typical of extreme beliefs) and I then refused to shake his left hand?
Though he's being disrespectful to me I feel because of his religion I would be the bad guy for not respecting it.
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Maybe I'm just in a liberal area of the country, but I don't know anyone who hates Muslim people.
Then again I try not to be friends with racists. And avoid them.
Then again I try not to be friends with racists. And avoid them.
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gizgal wrote...
Maybe I'm just in a liberal area of the country, but I don't know anyone who hates Muslim people.Then again I try not to be friends with racists. And avoid them.
Same. Californ-aye-a.
The customs in more liberal areas of the United States are different from places such as in middle America.
Or to be more specific, Red and Blue America (As seen in the election of 2000, George W. Bush vs Al Gore).
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Darzu wrote...
gizgal wrote...
Maybe I'm just in a liberal area of the country, but I don't know anyone who hates Muslim people.Then again I try not to be friends with racists. And avoid them.
Same. Californ-aye-a.
The customs in more liberal areas of the United States are different from places such as in middle America.
Or to be more specific, Red and Blue America (As seen in the election of 2000, George W. Bush vs Al Gore).
NJ here. But then again I've always kept pretty well-educated and informed company, so maybe I just don't know the local racists? :s
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K-1 wrote...
Overwhelming evidence shows that it is not a violent religion and that most of its practitioners are not violent and do not desire violence.Overwhelming evidence? Where? You did not post any evidence that shows Muslims are any more violent than Christian Fundamentalists but, you also did not post that showed they are more peaceful than Christian Fundamentalists.
First you must understand something: American's don't hate Muslims because their Muslims. Americans are nervous because they can't tell the Radicals from the Moderates. The methods of the Radicals put Americans further on edge since you'll only know the moderate was actually a radical when the bomb goes off. Also you can't really blame Americans for being skittish, we've been attacked by Radical Muslims since the 1980's. From the 1983 Beirut Barracks bombing to the 1993 world trade center bombing to the failed bombing at times square. Then you have bombings around the world from Israel, Pakistan, Somalia, India to England.
I do believe the prejudice has gone a bit far but, it's not completely unfounded.
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gizgal wrote...
Darzu wrote...
gizgal wrote...
Maybe I'm just in a liberal area of the country, but I don't know anyone who hates Muslim people.Then again I try not to be friends with racists. And avoid them.
Same. Californ-aye-a.
The customs in more liberal areas of the United States are different from places such as in middle America.
Or to be more specific, Red and Blue America (As seen in the election of 2000, George W. Bush vs Al Gore).
NJ here. But then again I've always kept pretty well-educated and informed company, so maybe I just don't know the local racists? :s
Hm, I'm just the opposite.
I've always kept to the company of myself, but I'm aware of the local proceedings and behavioral structures of people in my surroundings.
Edit:
But I guess a major aspect of where our opinions stem from in terms of ethnical differences also comes from the areas we live in, I'm assuming TC/OP lives in an area where the subject at hand frequents more often. [size=10](Yes I edited this in on purpose for a certain reason)[/h]
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Guys im Muslim and I know that there are different types of Muslims out there...
so far i know there are or 4 different Muslims groups each representing different ideas on how to live life....
There are Muslims who believe in peace..
there are Muslims who believe in violence...
there are Muslims similar to the Freemasons who believe in their own stuff
and there are Muslims who just take it as it is and not read carefully whats written in the quran...
Im the peace loving Muslim and I understand how the book is written....
America fear Muslims because its what the people say and they do it by displaying ALL MUSLIMS ( and not the specific one) in a terrible manner.....
the citizens take it as it is without properly giving the situation a thought...
so the real culprit is the ones who did it and they did it by pulling the rest of the innocent muslims in this dirty mess.. real talk.. peace.
so far i know there are or 4 different Muslims groups each representing different ideas on how to live life....
There are Muslims who believe in peace..
there are Muslims who believe in violence...
there are Muslims similar to the Freemasons who believe in their own stuff
and there are Muslims who just take it as it is and not read carefully whats written in the quran...
Im the peace loving Muslim and I understand how the book is written....
America fear Muslims because its what the people say and they do it by displaying ALL MUSLIMS ( and not the specific one) in a terrible manner.....
the citizens take it as it is without properly giving the situation a thought...
so the real culprit is the ones who did it and they did it by pulling the rest of the innocent muslims in this dirty mess.. real talk.. peace.
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Lelouch24 wrote...
I'm not saying you were wrong to do this, but you consistently referred to only most muzlums,K-1 wrote...
the vast majority of Muslims... Most of them... Most MuslimsThe reason people fear muzlums is because of that small amount of radicals that violently attack and kill non-believers. You might say "other races/religons sometimes (but rarely) kill people, but people aren't afraid of them". This is a valid point, and it is unfair, but the reason people fear muzlums is that they think The quran tells muzlums to kill non-muzlums. I have not extensively studied this, so I do not know if it's true. whether it's true or not doesn't change the fact that lots of people think it's true; because of this, they fear muzlums.
As a Muslim myself i can tell you my friend that the Quran has nothing at all in its 114 chapters saying anything similar to what you just said; in fact just the opposite. And please don't listen to the false information by such sites (i have not gone on it but i have heard enough about it to know is just bs)
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Arabguy wrote...
As a Muslim myself i can tell you my friend that the Quran has nothing at all in its 114 chapters saying anything similar to what you just said; in fact just the opposite.You have clearly never read the Quran. Allow me to pull some quotes from it. I'll even list the pages so there is no debate.
Quran 2:91-193 wrote...
And kill them wherever you overtake them and expel them from wherever they have expelled you, and fitnah is worse than killing. And do not fight them at al-Masjid al- Haram until they fight you there. But if they fight you, then kill them. Such is the recompense of the disbelievers.Fitna:is an Arabic word with connotations of secession, upheaval and chaos.
Quran 2:216 wrote...
Fighting has been enjoined upon you while it is hateful to you. But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not.Quran 3:151 wrote...
"Soon shall We cast terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers, for that they joined companions with Allah, for which He had sent no authorityQuran 5:33 wrote...
The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His messenger and strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides or they should be imprisoned; this shall be as a disgrace for them in this world, and in the hereafter they shall have a grievous chastisementQuaran 8:12 wrote...
"I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them"47:3-4 wrote...
Those who reject Allah follow vanities, while those who believe follow the truth from their lord. Thus does Allah set forth form men their lessons by similitude. Therefore when you meet in battle those who disbelieve, then smite the necks until when you have overcome them, then make (them) prisoners,Need me to go on or are you just going to state that you were wrong? I'll let you know, I've got a couple a dozen more quotes about killing non-believers.
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Arabguy, I don't mean to be rude, but the very link he posted has multiple Quran verses advocating violence. Now you are probably not a violent person, and perhaps you wouldn't take this part of the Quran literally, but the fact remains that these verses ARE in the Quran, and extremists WILL go along with them. You said it yourself: you did not click on the link, so I'll repost some of the verses in question: 2:191--193, 2:216, 3:151, 8:39, 9:30, 61:4, &c. You are free to take these as many Christians take parts of the Bible, and deny that they apply today, but their existence is an enabler for violent Muslims.
EDIT: Quite a fine ninja, Mr. FPOD.
EDIT: Quite a fine ninja, Mr. FPOD.
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K-1 wrote...
quotes can be pulled up that make each religion seem violentFiery_penguin_of_doom wrote...
snippedI don't know for sure about the Torah but don't the Bible, Quran and Torah all have similar amounts of violence? Like in all three somewhere is written one way or another "this religion is correct and everyone else is bad or shunned or whatever" and "spread the word of (pick name)" and so on?
I do know that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all came from the same root (Abraham) and find it pretty amazing how stuff like what K-1 is talking about can happen.
At the topic of this thread. I would (or like to think) that people are discriminatory in this particular field because they don't know much about Islam. Im going to use Christianity here because its what alot of the discriminating Americans practice.
I havent read any of the big 3 books myself but I have heard of God turning some city entirely to salt because it was filled with "sinners" (gamblers, prostitutes, thieves, etc) and told the "good" people to leave and if any so much as looked back they would turn to salt as well. Apparently someone did look back and instantly died. I think this was in the Old Testament somewhere.
If I knew nothing else about Christianity I would be terrified of anyone wearing a cross. Soo I would imagine if I knew nothing about Islam I would be afraid of being decapitated by anyone wearing a Hijab.
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I would not call it fear that people have of Muslims, but more of hate or distrust. At least that is what I see in my area. The main reason that some American people hate all Muslims for what a small portion believes and does is they think the ones that do not commit the crimes are helping or supporting the violence by being part of the same religion.
If you are Muslim and not an extremist then I guess it may be hard to see why people hate the people in your religion. You call us ignorant when you are ignoring the fact that most of the people who have strapped bombs to them, hijacked planes or were involved in a terrorist attack in anyway, had dark skin, and too many Americans looked like a “foreigner” . Yes, we have had white home grown terrorists who hated this country and looked just like a “normal” American, but they are a very small group of people and can just be shrugged off as a group of nut jobs in most people’s minds. It is not fair that most Americans hate Muslims or distrust them, but if you are Muslim try looking at it from our point of view.
We are not taught much about Islam in our schools, that may be changing, but most Americans who openly hate/fear or distrust Muslims only has what their news stations shows or radio tells them about Islam to base their thoughts of Muslims off of. Even ten year since the attacks we are still unclear if Islam really poses a threat to us or not, we have heard very little positive things about Muslims on the news in these 10 years, but have heard many negative things, so we Americans think the worst.
The American people have heard the Quran promotes violence against non Muslims, and the people who have planned and done the attacks on 9/11 and who we are fighting in the Middle East are Muslims who use the Quran to help motivate and spread hate for America and non Muslims in general. We Americans have protested planned Mosques because, just like the original poster said, we do not want them near us. We hear of how plans are made inside of Mosques, so non Muslim Americans wonder why do all the other Muslims that claim to not support violence, not work to stop the violent Muslims in their own places of worship? Maybe they do, but we have not heard of any Muslims stopping people who may be plotting attacks in a Mosque. Guess you could say we think you are sort of “hiding” the attackers and just saying you are not supporting them. We have no real proof of all Muslims hiding the terrorists, but it sounds good so people believe it, this sounds illogical, but many racist people I meet really believe Muslims are lying about what goes on in Mosques and all secretly support terrorism and bring down America and its allies.
I believe most Muslims are not violent or support killing all non believers, but those Muslims have to accept that there are those who call themselves Muslims and use the religion as an excuse to harm other people. Non violent Muslims should not just write off all Americans who hate/fear or distrust Muslims or foreigners as ignorant, because in our minds you are ignorant, and hating us will not help solve anything. Hating ignorant Americans will just make us hate you more, because it gives us another reason to hate. What I said here are just points of view and arguments people I know in my town have told me when I talk to them about Muslims, I myself am not too racist; I just live in a very racist and very Christian town.
If you are Muslim and not an extremist then I guess it may be hard to see why people hate the people in your religion. You call us ignorant when you are ignoring the fact that most of the people who have strapped bombs to them, hijacked planes or were involved in a terrorist attack in anyway, had dark skin, and too many Americans looked like a “foreigner” . Yes, we have had white home grown terrorists who hated this country and looked just like a “normal” American, but they are a very small group of people and can just be shrugged off as a group of nut jobs in most people’s minds. It is not fair that most Americans hate Muslims or distrust them, but if you are Muslim try looking at it from our point of view.
We are not taught much about Islam in our schools, that may be changing, but most Americans who openly hate/fear or distrust Muslims only has what their news stations shows or radio tells them about Islam to base their thoughts of Muslims off of. Even ten year since the attacks we are still unclear if Islam really poses a threat to us or not, we have heard very little positive things about Muslims on the news in these 10 years, but have heard many negative things, so we Americans think the worst.
The American people have heard the Quran promotes violence against non Muslims, and the people who have planned and done the attacks on 9/11 and who we are fighting in the Middle East are Muslims who use the Quran to help motivate and spread hate for America and non Muslims in general. We Americans have protested planned Mosques because, just like the original poster said, we do not want them near us. We hear of how plans are made inside of Mosques, so non Muslim Americans wonder why do all the other Muslims that claim to not support violence, not work to stop the violent Muslims in their own places of worship? Maybe they do, but we have not heard of any Muslims stopping people who may be plotting attacks in a Mosque. Guess you could say we think you are sort of “hiding” the attackers and just saying you are not supporting them. We have no real proof of all Muslims hiding the terrorists, but it sounds good so people believe it, this sounds illogical, but many racist people I meet really believe Muslims are lying about what goes on in Mosques and all secretly support terrorism and bring down America and its allies.
I believe most Muslims are not violent or support killing all non believers, but those Muslims have to accept that there are those who call themselves Muslims and use the religion as an excuse to harm other people. Non violent Muslims should not just write off all Americans who hate/fear or distrust Muslims or foreigners as ignorant, because in our minds you are ignorant, and hating us will not help solve anything. Hating ignorant Americans will just make us hate you more, because it gives us another reason to hate. What I said here are just points of view and arguments people I know in my town have told me when I talk to them about Muslims, I myself am not too racist; I just live in a very racist and very Christian town.
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Gravity cat
the adequately amused
It happens in Britain too, but not to that extent. You hear about "London bombings" all the time and people getting arrested for carrying either bombs, or the ingrediants to make one. It's pretty scary.
But I can see why Americans still "hate or distrust" muslims. Remember that the Nazis originated from Germany, and Germans to this day have still kept that bad name by other countries, even though it was at least 50 years ago and only a minute percentage of Germany was involved. It's all about association and word of mouth, really. Word of mouth is like Chinese whispers and you're always bound to get some details wrong, which is nobody's fault. The Twin Towers were destroyed and caused a significant catastrophe, ruining thousands of lives that day, so naturally 9/11 will have sparked a bad reputation among those involved, who just so happened to be Muslims.
But I can see why Americans still "hate or distrust" muslims. Remember that the Nazis originated from Germany, and Germans to this day have still kept that bad name by other countries, even though it was at least 50 years ago and only a minute percentage of Germany was involved. It's all about association and word of mouth, really. Word of mouth is like Chinese whispers and you're always bound to get some details wrong, which is nobody's fault. The Twin Towers were destroyed and caused a significant catastrophe, ruining thousands of lives that day, so naturally 9/11 will have sparked a bad reputation among those involved, who just so happened to be Muslims.
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Fiery_penguin_of_doom wrote...
Arabguy wrote...
As a Muslim myself i can tell you my friend that the Quran has nothing at all in its 114 chapters saying anything similar to what you just said; in fact just the opposite.You have clearly never read the Quran. Allow me to pull some quotes from it. I'll even list the pages so there is no debate.
Quran 2:91-193 wrote...
And kill them wherever you overtake them and expel them from wherever they have expelled you, and fitnah is worse than killing. And do not fight them at al-Masjid al- Haram until they fight you there. But if they fight you, then kill them. Such is the recompense of the disbelievers.Fitna:is an Arabic word with connotations of secession, upheaval and chaos.
Quran 2:216 wrote...
Fighting has been enjoined upon you while it is hateful to you. But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not.Quran 3:151 wrote...
"Soon shall We cast terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers, for that they joined companions with Allah, for which He had sent no authorityQuran 5:33 wrote...
The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His messenger and strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides or they should be imprisoned; this shall be as a disgrace for them in this world, and in the hereafter they shall have a grievous chastisementQuaran 8:12 wrote...
"I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them"47:3-4 wrote...
Those who reject Allah follow vanities, while those who believe follow the truth from their lord. Thus does Allah set forth form men their lessons by similitude. Therefore when you meet in battle those who disbelieve, then smite the necks until when you have overcome them, then make (them) prisoners,Need me to go on or are you just going to state that you were wrong? I'll let you know, I've got a couple a dozen more quotes about killing non-believers.
You clearly are ignorant and have never read the Quran yourself. I truly dont mind your hatred at all, your ignorance is your problem not mine, But you shouldnt spread such ignorance on to other people. Try getting some Muslim friends, maybe then your ignorance and bigotry will be gone. And maybe you should listen to what i talked about before; Dont go on sites made by bigots that are just afraid of Islam because they dont truly have any knowledge of it. [b]Good day Sir [/b]
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Arabguy wrote...
You clearly are ignorant and have never read the Quran yourself.Actually, I have read the book. Along with the bible but, I have not read the torah.
I truly dont mind your hatred at all, your ignorance is your problem not mine, But you shouldnt spread such ignorance on to other people.
Only ignorance here is yours. Read the Quran and enlighten yourself.
Try getting some Muslim friends, maybe then your ignorance and bigotry will be gone.
I have two Muslism friends. 5 if you count online acquaintances.
Dont go on sites made by bigots that are just afraid of Islam because they dont truly have any knowledge of it.
I didn't go to the linked site. In fact I went to Quran.com Which provides an english translation and the original language. Which I am unable to identify but, I assume is Arabic.
Edit: I took note of these passages as I read through the Quran the first time. I also took down an equal number of "good" passages if you wish for me to post them as well.
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animefreak_usa
Child of Samael
All religion are based in killing nonbelievers in the start.. fuck the bible is old as shit via torah aka the old testament and some and the new testament. I wear a kufi everyday not because i believe in allah but because my christian faith say to cover thy head when outside... i know what it is to be judge because im a brown dude with a Muslim head-covering. My religion is from the north African and Mediterranean areas so we adopted the cultural aspects.
All faith... maybe not the Buddhists has a violence messages from the past where they kill different people for worship the wrong gods. Be scared of the fool in the bomb vest, and ali working at the stop n shop.
All faith... maybe not the Buddhists has a violence messages from the past where they kill different people for worship the wrong gods. Be scared of the fool in the bomb vest, and ali working at the stop n shop.