Answering
James P. Holding’s questions on Islam
James P. Holding has asked several questions pertaining to Islam here.
JPH stated:
let us ask him a question: 1) Is the Muslim burkah modest?
Response:
Yes. Please see my references:
http://www.islam101.com/women/hijabfaq.html
http://home.swipnet.se/islam/hijab.htm
JPH stated:
2) If so, what would he say if over
a period of time, wearing one came to be regarded as "sexy" and
daring (because it invoked a mystery of forbidden romance)?
Response:
No. There is no sin on the woman if a man looks at her in a sexual way so
long as she is following the basic minimum requirement for dress in Islam.
Unlike what JPH suggested, men have no right to dictate to woman what they can
wear or what they can not wear. Only God has that right. It does not matter how
sexually excited a man gets.
JPH stated:
As Sam Shamoun has noted in assistance to us, the
Quran ONLY mentions that women are to cover their bosoms, not necessarily the
head.
Shamoun adds that Mr. Ahmed himself fails to deal with
an important point -- "that at one time Muhammad degraded women by
allowing men to contract temporary marriages with them, i.e. legal
prostitution." See here. Note as well that Shia Muslims (not real Muslims,
according to Mr. Ahmed!) do this still today.
Response:
You mean “Shameless Shamoun”?
Well, I don’t believe that he is the type of person you want in your
corner. Let’s just say that he has a “little problem”. JPH, in the future try to
find someone with a little integrity and who does not practice out right lies
and deception as Shameless Shamoun does. Please take the time to click on this
link and download the 19 minute clip in which I “stripped him naked” in public,
exposed him as a liar and crushed his “legal prostitution” argument:
Sex..Lies..and Audio Tapes: Shamoun caught on tape
running!
JPH stated:
The
exact rules defining women's dress have been determined based on interpretation
of these verses and incorporation of concepts established in hadith. The
inclusion of a head covering is derived from interpretation of the word khimar
in 24:31 above. Most translators and commentators agree that this was a loose
scarf worn at the time of the Prophet (pbuh) which covered a woman's head, neck
and possibly shoulders, leaving the rest exposed. Women were thus ordered to
use the khimar to cover their breasts. Naturally, a woman would continue to
cover her neck, head and shoulders and would then also cover her breast. This
understanding of the khimar as a head-covering explains why Muslims believe
that the Qur'an tells us to cover our hair. The injunction, however, regarding
covering the hair in addition to everything else is implied, not specified in
the Qur'an.
No doubt we will be told by Mr. Ahmed that these people are apostate
Muslims, or not Muslims, or really Rastafarians, or some other such nonsense
Response:
There is no need to disparage them. The only thing I will fault them on
is that they are making a very easy straight forward matter more complicated
and confusing, perhaps to cater to all different groups. Here, let me make this
matter very simple. For Sunni or Shi’ite Muslims, there is no question, that
the minimum requirement for dress code is hijab. Any thing less than that would
be considered a sin. It is quite irrelevant if hijab is or is not found in the
Quran, because both Shi’ite and Sunni Muslims follow two sources for divine
guidance: Quran and hadeeth(or Sunnah). And one correction, hijab is not based
on some interpretation of a hadeeth. Hijab is based on an actual explicit
text:.
In one tradition, the
Prophet Muhammad is quoted as saying: "...If the woman reaches the age of
puberty, no part of her body should be seen but this --- and he pointed to his
face and hands."
http://www.islam101.com/women/hijabfaq.html
Now, as far as I know, I don’t know of anyone who has a different
understanding of that hadeeth. As for these links which Shameless Shamoun is
sending to you, these are cults which do not comprise even 1% of the Muslim
population. So, don’t be fooled by this charlatan.
JPH stated:
Every society is
entitled to establish minimum standards of dress
Response:
Yes, but Muslim women are not obligated to follow these man made
standards that a bunch of masturbating men. Rather, Muslim women should
challenge and expose these standards and meaningless man made constructs, and
follow God’s standard. This also goes to show just how misguided Christians are:
they think that they are following God’s standards, when in REALITY, they are
following man made standards created by masturbating men. This one of the
reasons why Allah said in the Quran that the Christians are “daleeen” meaning,
they are astray.
JPH stated:
question arises: if this had been a
society in which men were more like true gentlemen, who did not harrass
women, would this stricture have been ordered?
Response:
Wait a second. JPH has assumed that the society which he lives in are
more like true gentlemen as compared to 6th century Arabs. This is
known as Ethnocentrism. This is yet a second time JPH
has been busted in passing racist comments. The first time was when he was
caught praising racist cartoons from the early
1900s depicting Arabs as sexual perverts here.
In addition to that JPH claims that he has some Arab blood in him,
therefore, that means he can’t be racist against Arabs. Of course, this
nonsense does not need a response. So, here lays the problem, and that is,
there are some white males who think that they are culturally superior to you,
therefore, Muslims are modern day savages which need to be “cultured”. Therefore, it
is pointless trying to talk to reason and logic with someone who views himself
as superior.
Now, to answer his question, the rules mandated in Islam are not based
upon person observation, but rather, God’s revelation for all times. But the
truth is, JPH’s gentlemen do nothing but harass women all day. Case in point, I
work for a hotel. The girls behind counter get harassed by some man at a rate
of 1 every 12 minutes. JPH’s gentlemen constantly, coming up to the counter and
make cheap excuses to talk to them, buying them drinks, ask them to come up to
their rooms, making cheap jokes, round the clock flirting non stop, 24 hours, 7
days a week. But in defense of JPH’s gentlemen, these girls do bring on this
negative attention by the way they behave and flirt back. It only when JPH’s
gentlemen comes on too strong, that I have to get up off my seat to interject,
and ask him, “sir, can I help you with something?”, in a polite way of course, we
don’t want to upset the guests.
JPH stated:
Mr. Ahmed further challenges us to
"show how Islam's solution is like a knife in the heart." I suppose
cutting off a hand to stop a thief doesn't meet this requirement
Response:
Here we see that JPH is trying to pull the old “bait and switch”. When I ask this question, I was referring to how
Islam solves the Bible’s Girls Gone Wild
problem. In this issue, JPH failed to show how Islam is like knife in the
heart. Therefore, JPH brings up a unrelated issue of someone committing a
serious crime, which warrants a hand to be cut off, which I have to ask, what
system would not lay down a tough punishment?
Therefore, in this case, a knife in the heart is demanded, if not, there
will be chaos. But cutting a hand off sounds too barbaric for being a repeated
felon? Guess again. Our judicial system is now embracing a very similar, or
actually more brutal system of the 3
strikes law. Now I encourage you to ask those who have served hard
time, which do you prefer:
You will find MANY rushing to get their hand cut off, rather than doing
hard time in prison. But what I find interesting, is that the Judicial system
has mimicked Islamic law by coming up with a severe punishment to deter them.
But, I believe the Islamic system is better, because even after 3 strikes, many
return to crime.
JPH stated:
So there you have it. A large amount
of oxygen can cause intoxication; therefore, a small amount of it is
prohibited. If you are Muslim, you must now hold your breath and never breathe
again.
Response:
This is an easy riddle to debunk. Let me state again for the record,
Islam is a fully functional moral system which addresses today’s problems. JPH
has decided to test the veracity of this statement and we welcome it. Now here
is the answer. Allah(swt) said in the Quran:
Those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write (i.e.Muhammad SAW)
whom they find written with them in the Taurât (Torah) (Deut, xviii, 15) and
the Injeel (Gospel) (John xiv, 16), - he commands them for Al-Ma'rűf (i.e.
Islâmic Monotheism and all that Islâm has ordained); and forbids them from
Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism of all kinds, and all that Islâm has
forbidden); he allows them as lawful At-Taiyibât [(i.e. all good and lawful) as
regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons, foods, etc.], and prohibits them as
unlawful Al-Khabâ'ith (i.e. all evil and unlawful as regards things, deeds,
beliefs, persons, foods, etc.), he releases them from their heavy burdens (of
Allâh's Covenant), and from the fetters (bindings) that were upon them. So
those who believe in him (Muhammad SAW), honour him, help him, and follow
the light (the Qur'ân) which has been sent down with him, it is they who
will be successful. (Al-A'raf 7:157)
Therefore, the Quran orders us to follow the Messenger. And the Messenger
breathed oxygen, therefore, oxygen is an exception to the rule.
In conclusion, JPH attempt to thwart Muslims questioning Biblical
morality, JPH made an effort to prove
that Islam is morally incoherent, but he has failed miserably. It has been
proven that Islam clearly condemns the Girls
Gone Wild lifestyle, yet the Bible fully embraces the Girls Gone Wild culture. As a result of this, countries where which
are predominant Christian are a stark contrast to societies where Muslims live
in. Christians can not simply dismiss night clubs, bars, and night life, Girls Gone Wild, or MTV Spring Break which dominates their societies as being non
Christian. Rather they need to accept, that this is the life Jesus Christ
offers you if you bow down and worship him; thus this is Christianity’s major
marketing tool.
Return To The
Morality Debate.