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Perfect on a warm summer day, but so good that we eat it year-round!
Aji de Gallina: spicy Peruvian chicken stew
This recipe is all about making a little bit of food stretch a long way... if I make it using only one chicken breast, it still lasts me at least 4 days! It also works great with that chicken you froze to use later. Like many Peruvian dishes, it is served with both rice and boiled … Continue reading Aji de Gallina: spicy Peruvian chicken stew
Better late than never holiday post?
Some recipe tips since I haven't had time to make my own...
Maple Pecan "knäck" (Swedish Christmas Toffee)
Christmas time in Sweden means a batch of homemade knäck or hard toffee. It is traditionally made with normal light syrup and almonds, but the use of maple syrup and pecans in this recipe makes it extra FODMAP-friendly (and delicious!). Please note: This is NOT a project to undertake with small children, as the boiling syrup gets … Continue reading Maple Pecan "knäck" (Swedish Christmas Toffee)
3 courses in Vietnam
A couple of times a year my Swedish girlfriends and I take turns making themed 3 course dinners for one another. I thought we'd have to cancel this winter when I learned I'd be starting the FODMAP diet... we are already not the easiest group to cook for, with one vegetarian, one who doesn't eat … Continue reading 3 courses in Vietnam
Bánh Xèo- Vietnamese rice crepes
Little known fact: the largest vietnamese population outside of Vietnam is in "Little Saigon" in Orange County, CA, which also just so happens to be my hometown. In hindsight I wish I'd taken more advantage of the bountiful vietnamese cuisine and markets when I lived there. These crispy and delicious crepes are made from a mix … Continue reading Bánh Xèo- Vietnamese rice crepes
Nước Chấm- vietnamese dipping sauce
The perfect sauce for all your spring roll and vietnamese food dipping needs!
Tropical rice pudding
This recipe is a twist on the traditional german rice pudding, milchreis. Not only does the use of coconut milk make this recipe dairy- and lactose-free, it adds a lovely flavor. Serve it together with a serving of safe tropical fruits like pineapple, passion fruit, kiwi or guava for a real treat! Tropical rice pudding (8 … Continue reading Tropical rice pudding
Frozen Grape Green Smoothie
This smoothie recipe is inspired by my best and oldest friend Melanie... To tell you the truth I was always kind of freaked out by the idea of green smoothies, and vegetables in smoothies in general, until Melanie made me one with spinach and frozen grapes during my last visit. Grapes have NO detected FODMAPs, and … Continue reading Frozen Grape Green Smoothie
3 Step Knäckebröd (Swedish crisp bread)
1. Mix 2. Spread 3. Bake. It's that simple!
Pumpkin bread
Ended up using the last of my pumpkin puree on this awesome pumpkin bread with maple glaze... what an amazing color! All I did was take this super easy recipe and substitute the flour for gluten free flour... and add a few more spices (cinnamon, cardamum, cloves). Time to roast more pumpkins!
Comfort food: Pumpkin pizza
suddenly it came to me: what if the pumpkin IS the sauce?!


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*Gloria Govan of VH1's "Basketball Wives" is coming to the defense of her NBA boyfriend Matt Barnes, who was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of domestic violence.
She also refers to the Los Angeles Lakers player as her "fiancé," despite the fact that her scheduled August wedding was abruptly cancelled.
"Any accusation of domestic violence are false," Govan said in a statement issued Thursday by the couple's publicist Laura M. Wright. "My fiancé, Matt Barnes, has never physically abused me or my family."
As previously reported, Sacramento County sheriff's spokesman Tim Curran says deputies responded to a disconnected 911 call late Wednesday afternoon to the home that Barnes shares with Govan and found her with visible injuries. Curran says Barnes was arrested after deputies determined he was the primary aggressor.
The athlete, released after posting a $50,000 bond, is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 13.
Barnes also denied the accusations in a text to reporter Bryan May of Sacramento's News 10, stating, "U know any domestic violence situation 9 outa 10 times the man gets arrested. That's the case here I was the victim but still got arrested. No matter what I say people are gonna think what they want…"

subset: commoncrawl


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email : s********@*****.com
Mitglied seit: 12. September 2013
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Water Department
Contact: Tom Seaba (719)384-7358
La Junta's water meets or exceeds all EPA standards. Arkansas River water filters through the alluvial sands and is further processed using reverse osmosis. Certified professional water treatment and distribution operators monitor and maintain our system to assure that your drinking water meets the highest standards. Copies of our most recent water quality report can be obtained by calling (719)384-7358.
Utility policies and rates revised 01/2018
Utility Rates Flyer revised 01/2018
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Other rates may apply in special circumstances, including charges for high strength wastewater. Contact the Utilities Office at 384-2546 for more information about rates and billing.
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John McIntyre, whom James Wolcott calls "the Dave Brubeck of the art and craft of copy editing," writes on language, editing, journalism, and other manifestations of human frailty. Comments welcome. Identifying his errors relieves him of the burden of omniscience. Write to email@example.com, befriend at Facebook, or follow at Twitter: @johnemcintyre. Back 2009-2012 at the original site, http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/mcintyre/blog/ and now at www.baltimoresun.com/news/language-blog/.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Those damn copy editors again
Now, according to an article in the Honolulu Advertiser, the student, Kris DeRego, has come up with a novel explanation: It's the copy editors' fault. His articles, he says, were "adulterated" on the copy desk.
The faculty adviser to the paper, Jay Hartwell, found it odd that no other reporters for the paper had complained about such bungling on the copy desk, and he found it additionally odd that other names in the articles, such as faculty members, were correct.
Mark Brislin, the editor of the student paper, Ka Leo O Hawaii, said that DeRego, asked to supply names, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses for the twenty-nine questionable sources, submitted five. Only one of the five responded.
It would be idle to pretend that copy editors do not make mistakes, even inserting errors into texts — I bear the scars of many such lapses myself. But I have also seen over the years how tempting it is for some reporters to condemn the copy desk before determining the facts. The human reflex to shift blame elsewhere, especially on a target group, is quite strong. Any number of times I have reported to work to take up the day's fresh complaints, discovering frequently on examination that the reporter actually made the error, or the originating editor made the error, or even, on some occasions, that there was actually no error.
I'm not privy to Mr. DeRego's work or the work of the Ka Leo copy desk, but the reported information casts a shadow over his explanation, as well as over his work.
6 comments:
When the police suspect someone of burglary, it is not uncommon to find that the suspect's house is the next to be hit. People will go to great lengths to deflect blame.ReplyDelete
And lest we forget, he also had a restraining order placed against him and was accused of stealing liquor and cash from a store he used to work at (http://archives.starbulletin.com/2006/09/16/news/story04.html).ReplyDelete
Sounds like a life champ I'd believe any excuse from.
But wait, he said someone was out to get him when it comes to the theft accusations:
"In a letter to both Honolulu daily newspapers, DeRego conceded there was a restraining order against him but denied stealing any items and said his troubles at the store "coincided with a difficult period personally when people with whom I had intimate relationships were attempting to destabilize my life."" (from http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2009/06/22/daily39.html?page=2)
Sounds like a champ at life. I totally believe him. He'd never deny guilt.
- AnonymousJune 28, 2009 at 12:37 PM
I would think that copy editor's culpability could be proved or disproved by comparing the original submitted by the author to the published version. Whether written electronicly or by quill pen on foolscap, a "paper" trail would be available. Unless, of course, the young man involved thinks "the computer ate my article."ReplyDelete
Whenever I write anything I keep copies of all past versions. I would hope that a newspaper would do the same.
Retired in Elkridge
Newspapers' editing software typically tracks changes in text from one set of hands to the next, but my experience with a couple of systems has been that detailed information becomes limited or unavailable after a few days. Tracking changes in articles written months in the past may be impossible in many newsrooms.ReplyDelete
Some comments from FacebookReplyDelete
Richard Stubbe: A typical reporter would wait until the 14th occasion of sources being inserted into his reports before saying anything. Or perhaps he wouldn't.
Lane Harvey Brown: Let's all say a little prayer for all the colleagues ahead who will get to work with this guy. Duh.
Elizabeth DeHoff: Wow. That reporter is super classy.
Leslie-Jean Thornton: Reminds me of the reporter we all loved because he used "cq" so often. Until he told us one day he thought "cq" was a directive for copy editors to check it out (ie, do his work).
John McIntyre: Not the first reporter, by any means, to labor under that misapprehension about "CQ." Oh, the stories copy editors could tell you.
George Carter: Yep, it's a card often played by lazy scoundrels.
Linda Felaco: So you're telling me all these years that I've been dutifully copy editing other people's work, I could've been gleefully inserting my own made-up stuff? I've been missing out on all the fun...
Mary Ellen Slayter: What copy editor would actually have time to make up that much material?
Pam Robinson: I read another version of this story earlier today, which didn't include the copy desk canard. He apparently was under suspicion back in January. His defense at the time was that HE, he alone, was trying to improve standards and couldn't understand how he could face challenge.
Matthew Tom: See, technology will be the end of this reporter. You don't think there's some sort of electronic trail of changes made? Nice try.
That "cq" story above is fantastic! "Check this for me, please!" Doh!ReplyDelete


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Here's some poorly scanned in watercolor doodles. I haven't really figured out a way to scan watercolors without them become really wonky.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
1 comment:
- 'Lil Ric said...
I think these look good! It's nice to see some more intricate brushwork, especially on the first sketch.
- July 22, 2011 at 12:26 PM
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What does 925 on jewelry mean?
When a piece of jewelry is engraved with the numbers 925, it is what is known as "925 silver," meaning that it is 92.5 percent silver and is considered sterling. The remaining 7.5 percent is an all...
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What does 10 kh mean in jewelry?
There is no "kh" abbreviation in jewelry. If you came across something similar to that, most likely it was "10 k," or "10 karats". The karat system refers to how much pure, liquid gold is inside a ...
Read More »
What does dwt mean in jewelry?
In precious metal and jewelry terms, "dwt" is the abbreviation for a pennyweight, which equals .05 troy oz. or 1.555174 g. The term is based on the weight of an ancient coin and comes from the Troy...
Read More »
What does hge on jewelry mean?
HGE, when stamped on jewelry, stands for "Heavy Gold Electroplate." According to the Federal Trade Commission, in order to qualify as heavy gold electroplate, a jewelry piece must have at least 10k...
Read More »
What does 585 on jewelry mean?
The mark 585 on jewelry indicates the percentage of gold content. It is equivalent to 14K gold. Jewelry originating in Asia or Europe may have this mark, but it is not as common as the 14K mark. So...
Read More »


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Van Kleeck - Winne Adjusters provides a complete multiple line claim
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Social Media Safety presentation for parents.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Social Media Safety for Parents (Feb 2013)
Posted by Alecia Berman-Dry at 3:02 PM
1 comment:
- acer customer care contact number said...
Useful information like this one must be kept and maintained. So I will put this one on my twitter list! Thanks for this wonderful post and hoping to see your post soon!
- July 8, 2013 at 1:32 AM


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Dallas Chocolate Classes Best Corporate Events in Plano Texas
The best corporate events and team events near Plano, TX. We offer fun chocolate-centric corporate events for large or small groups in Plano,TX. Recommended by Everyday with Rachel Ray, USATODAY, and BestProducts.com.
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Applying for a scholarship? Check out our scholarship essays database>
Sample cover letter for Internship position at credit suisse
Dear Madam, Sir,
Currently studying in both University of Paris VI and EISTI (major in mathematics) in Cergy, I am interested in doing Equities-Sales, Trading and structuring Summer Intern programme at Credit Suisse starting in 2016. Indeed, I am really impressed by the various strengths of your company. More especially by your reputation to be a prestigious equity house with high standards, Credit Suisse salespeople are known to have a clear understanding of the investment style and needs of each client and consider each of its clients as unique in providing tailor-made financial services. It substantiates that Credit Suisse belongs to the main Investment Banking actors in the UK thanks to its international reputation and its strong capacity to customize product flow and identify opportunities for clients seeking to improve their investment returns. Besides, I will be keen to work in a entrepreneurialism and teamwork environment like yours, where the culture aims at making sure that analysts are better exposed to the top management and senior businessmen.
In my opinion, an applicant for a summer internship in the field of Sales & Trading must possess certain specific qualities and skills. First, he or she requires the ability to work for long stretches of time in a stressful environment. I believe I am able to do this. Indeed, both my academic career and my sporting experience demonstrate my ability to prevail in stressful situations whilst maintaining maximum efficiency and guaranteeing results. My two intense years in Classe Préparatoire and my achievements in swimming illustrate this ability. Furthermore, a summer intern needs to be results-driven, as he or she must work with several people whilst not losing sight of the main objectives and provide marketcolor to clients. My experience in the IT service of Schneider Electric International demonstrates that I am highly results-driven having developed a new information system for Schneider in the African and Caribbean regions helping to develop the business in these areas. The ability to be multi task is also a vital quality for a summer intern in Sales and Trading. Studying and doing sport at national level was a good opportunity for me to succeed both at school and in swimming. This year I went to the national championship and I passed the Baccalauréat.
My educational curriculum from a Business School, an Engineering School and the University of Paris VI has enabled me to develop my knowledge in both corporate finance and markets finance. This opportunity offered by a dual degree allows me to develop my skills in corporate finance, financial mathematics and programming. Given my education and professional experiences, I believe that I am a particularly good fit for the Investment Banking Summer Intern programme in Sales and Trading. It will be a real opportunity to give me a unique insight in the world of banking. Hence, this position will get me down to business, learning how your business area works and how your different teams operate. I thank you in advance for the attention that you may bring to my application.
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See our template for making your own punchy cover letter


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The house has been overtaken my the stomach virus from hell and a middle of the night tornado warning so things have been a little crazy over here.
The kiddos passed out for a little nap and I finally had time to browse the awesomeness that is pintrest and I found these. Remember to click on the picture to be taken to the original site, these are not my ideas!
I am LOVING this idea from Decor Hacks. So fantastic and easy!
Source: decorhacks.com via Erica on Pinterest
I don't know if it would be possible to love this idea more than I do. I wish I had started it when Bella-rella graduated pre-k.
Source: ohdeedoh.com via Joke on Pinterest
Nicely done, IKEA, nicely done. Check out a list of 25 new IKEA products over at babble.
Source: blogs.babble.com via Rowena on Pinterest
Follow me on pinterest!


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To request books for pick-up or delivery, click the "Request" button in the Clemson Libraries catalog.
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Forgot your password? Visit CCIT to retrieve or reset a forgotten password.
Accounting, Management, Marketing, MBA, Legal Studies (Business)
407B Cooper Library
To recommend a book (or other material) for the Clemson Libraries collection, please email Meredith Futral


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Friday, July 02, 2004
Blogory in UK Guardian
Findory Blogory got a brief mention in the UK Guardian today. Interesting that the author of the article is Tara Calishain, lead author of the book Google Hacks and editor of the popular weblog ResearchBuzz.
Posted by Greg Linden at 9:21 AM
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text:
I took a solid hour to write out this cute little intro about repentance and sin, and just as I was about to start digging in to chapter 9, I scrapped it. I hit delete and I got up and walked away. I went to get some coffee, I air drummed to Phil Collins, I picked my toes, I battled the rancor, I sent KafirBoy so many text messages that he could probably get a restraining order against me. Is it possible to sexually harass your own husband? I was willing to find out.
Now it's been just over 24 hours since I first sat down to pound chapter 9 out, and I've only made it to verse 5. Verse 5…out of 130. Why, you ask? Whhhhy?? Because Chapter 9 contains such a concentration of hatred and ugliness and big fucking piles of bullshit that I don't even know where to start. That's why. And a funny little intro to a chapter like this just felt wrong.
I don't want to be a whiner — I mean, we get enough of that from the Jews in the Quran. But chapter 9 fucking sucks balls. In an entire book full of ball-sucking chapters, chapter 9 is by far the ball-suckiest one so far. It's really hard to be lighthearted and silly all the time when the subject matter is all doom and fucking gloom. Especially since every time I sit down to write, it makes me feel like I'll puke up every thing I've ever eaten since kindergarten.
Anyway, I realize that if I don't get started on it now, we'll just be stuck here forever. Grab some Advil and get ready to pop a blood vessel. Lets fucking do this already before I blast Phil Collins again.
First off, I think Repentance is a total misnomer. This chapter should be called Fight. Seriously. The words repent and repentance show up 10 times. Fight and Fighting? 17 times. And just for procrastination fun, I checked out a couple more words:
- Punishment = 8
- Mercy = 3
- Pain = 6
- Joy = 1
- Hell = 10
- Heaven = 1
That mention of heaven, by the way, is not even in a positive context:
127. Indeed God has turned their hearts away (from the truth), for they cannot discern the law of heaven.
Yup. One mention of heaven and it's all about how God has turned off peoples' hearts to Islam. That's the kind of chapter this is.
It actually doesn't even start out like all the other chapters so far. The usual "In the name of Allah, most benevolent, ever-merciful" is missing in action. And it's not just my Ahmed Ali translation either. It's missing from every translation I checked — both the English and Arabic. So either this is a mistake in the Quran(!) or Mo forgot to tip his hat to God in this revelation. Orrrrr he finally realized that God is neither merciful nor benevolent, and he left that shit out on purpose!
OK, fine, that last one is probably just wishful thinking on my part. The sheer number of God is fucking greats in this chapter more than make up for the missing verse. I looked up Muslim reactions to chapter 9's unusual kickoff and most of them seem to think that old Mo left it out on purpose. Why? Because. Chock it up to another one of those mysteries of God, I guess. Mohammed doesn't make mistakes.
As far as chronological order goes, there is some disagreement about which chapter was the last to be revealed. They're all pretty much the same shit repeated over and over again, so I can understand the confusion. Most sites I checked agree that Chapter 9 was one of the last of Mohammed's revelations. WikiIslam lists it as the second last.
One thing that all the sites agree on is this: chapter 9 was revealed at a time when Mohammed was a force to be reckoned with. He was a political, religious and military leader. Oh, and he was also king of the douchebags. That one wasn't really on any of the sites, but I thought I'd throw it in anyway. Anyway, Mohammed had established some peace treaties with the pagans in his area. Sort of a you scratch my back / I won't rip your head off deal. Check it out:
(1) IMMUNITY is granted those idolators by God and his Apostle with whom you have a treaty.
(2) (They can) move about for four months freely in the land, but should know they cannot escape (the law of) God, and that God can put the unbelievers to shame.
So God gives these pagans four months of freedom to roam around as needed. But he wants them to know that he's doing it reluctantly. And that he could punish them if he wanted to. He's just been really, really busy lately with all that nothing he does up in heaven.
(3) A general proclamation is (made) this day of the Greater Pilgrimage on the part of God and His Apostle, that God is not bound (by any contract) to idolaters, nor is His Apostle. It is, therefore, better for you to repent. If you do not, remember that you cannot elude (the grip of) God. So announce to those who deny the truth the news of painful punishment,
Yup. God's all about that abrogation shit, huh? After those four months, all contracts with the pagans are null and void. God and Mohammed are off the hook, and the pagans are, um, about to be on the hook.
By the way, I don't think God was legally bound to any contract to begin with. Did the pagans get him to sign anything? Did he sign it "God" or "Allah" or one of his other 99 names? Did lightening come out of the sky and leave a big X on the paper? Or, since God is too busy and important to deal with this kind of thing himself, maybe he asked Mohammed to sign for him.
Can you imagine the looks on the pagans' faces if he brought that shit up? "Oh, uh, listen pagans. God told me to just go ahead and sign for him. He was totally going to be here today, but he has all this shit going. One of the fire generators in hell overheated and now the whole back corner is cooling down. So, you know, I'll take care of it for him. I'll just use this blue pen — that way his is in blue, and mine is in black. And I'll make his o's the way he makes them. His o's are loopier than mine. Oh, don't worry, we do this all the time. He's a busy guy."
Anyway, after God revokes the treaty, he starts spouting off about repenting and punishment. If the pagans do not turn away from sin and turn to God, they will be punished. Painfully. Ooooh ominous! In other words, if they don't convert to Islam, they're in trouble. And here I thought there was no compulsion in religion! Where the fuck did I get such a silly idea? Oh, I know! I got it from the fucking Quran:
(2:256) There is no compulsion in matter of faith.
So just a few short chapters back, God said you can't force someone into converting. And now he's forcing the pagans to convert to Islam by giving them the choice of conversion or death. Again, I'd like to bring up this verse:
(2:2) This is a book free from doubt and involution
Seriously? No doubt or complexity in this here book? Seriously?? Well, what the fuck is all of that up there? One minute there's no compulsion in religion, and then next it's the Godfather ultimatum. The offer they can't refuse: convert to Islam or else. Doubt! Complexity!! The Quran is full of shit.
(4) Except those idolaters with whom you have a treaty, who have not failed you in the least, nor helped anyone against you. Fulfil your obligations to them during the term (of the treaty). God loves those who take heed for themselves.
The only pagans who are exempt from painful punishment are the ones who haven't done anything to piss Mohammed off. No, not God. Mohammed. It's all about Mohammed. Seriously. Read verse 4 again: Except those idolaters with whom you have a treaty, who have not failed you in the least, nor helped anyone against you. It's like Mo's not even trying to hide it anymore.
OK, this is where I'm confused even further. This verse seems to imply that some of the pagans actually struck the first blow by breaking the treaties. And that the Muslims were giving them four months to hightail it before hunting them down. But I can't find a single fucking thing aside from really general statements like this:
This verse was revealed during a historical period when the small Muslim community had entered into treaties with neighboring tribes (Jewish, Christian, and pagan). Several of the pagan tribes had violated the terms of their treaty, secretly aiding an enemy attack against the Muslim community.
Um, details please? Like when? And which tribes? And what enemy attack? Why can't I find a single fact anywhere? Again with the doubt and complexity. I mean, maybe it actually happened like the Quran claims. Maybe a bunch of asshole pagans made a treaty with the Muslims, and then secretly helped attack the Muslims. It could have happened. Now here's my question: why the fuck didn't anyone write anything down?! And if they did, why don't the Muslim apologists have some goddamn references when they make their neat little claims that the pagans struck first?
It would seriously help this shit make a tad more sense if there was some evidence that any of it actually happened. But then again, this is religion we're talking about. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to begin with.
(5) But when these months, prohibited (for fighting), are over, slay the idolaters wheresoever you find them, and take them captive or besiege them, and lie in wait for them at every likely place. But if they repent and fulfil their devotional obligations and pay the zakat, then let them go their way, for God is forgiving and kind.
Ohhhhhhhhh. Their. Fucking. God. There is so much that is so wrong with that verse. It gave me hernias on my eyeballs having to read it over and over. Lets break it down one line at a time, OK? Anything more than that and these poor peepers might explode.
(5) But when these months, prohibited (for fighting), are over,
That's the four months God was talking about earlier. The more I think about it, the more I realize how fucking ridiculous that four month ceasefire is. I mean, if God has predestined everything those pagans are going to do, what's the fucking point of dragging that shit on for four months? Why not just *poof* knock down the ones who weren't going to become Muslims anyway? And let everyone else live? Why go through this whole four month song and dance number?
slay the idolaters wheresoever you find them, and take them captive or besiege them, and lie in wait for them at every likely place.
And that right there is the infamous sword verse that Osama bin Laden is so in love with. This shit is from Ahmed Fucking Ali, apologist extraordinaire, and it's still so in your face about killing people. I checked out a couple of other translations just to make sure he didn't water it down too much:
A. J. Arberry:
(5) Then, when the sacred months are drawn away, slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them, and confine them, and lie in wait for them at every place of ambush.
(5) Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush.
Yusuf Ali:
(5) But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war);
So Ahmed Ali did soften the blow a tiny bit — he didn't actually use the word ambush. Not that it matters much. Look at that fucking verse again. Slay the idolaters wheresoever you find them. Kill em all. Take them captive or besiege them, and lie in wait for them at every likely place. Trap them and take them as captives. Hide out and wait for them to come by so you can take them out. No amount of watering down can disguise what that says.
But if they repent and fulfil their devotional obligations and pay the zakat, then let them go their way,
Devotional obligations? The fuck?? Here's the AJ Arberry translation, which is a little more straightforward:
A. J. Arberry:
But if they repent, and perform the prayer, and pay the alms, then let them go their way; God is All-forgiving, All-compassionate.
Repent. Perform the prayer. Pay the alms. Notice that it doesn't say "a prayer." It says "the prayer." As in the Muslim prayer. As in convert to Islam. Unless you want the Muslims will kill you. Yeah.
You know how a lot of Muslims get all defensive when someone says Islam is a convert-or-die religion? How do they explain that verse? I was curious, so I looked it up. The usual excuse is that it's taken out of context. But is it really?
Here's what those verses say: some pagans broke a treaty with Mohammed so God gave them had 4 months to get their shit together before the Muslims went after them. If the pagans converted to Islam, they're safe. If they didn't? Slay the idolaters wheresoever you find them.
How the fuck is that not convert or die? 'Splain that to me.
This is right around the time when the word Islamophobe gets tossed out. It's like the Muslim wildcard. You're saying that Islam is not a religion of peace? Islamophobe! That word makes me gag. So does Islamofacism. Fuck that shit. I'm making up my own word: anyone who uses the words Islamophobe and Islamofacism is an Islamotard. Actually, scratch that. I checked UrbanDictionary and Islamotard is taken. Boo! Hiss! I like my definition better.
By the way, I was totally not kidding when I said Osama bin Laden loves verse 5. It's in his 1996 fatwa:
The most Exalted said in the verse of As-Sayef, The Sword: "so when the sacred months have passed away, then slay the idolaters where ever you find them, and take them captives and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush" (At-Tauba; 9:5).
Oh, and also in a 1993 sermon:
"Praise be to Allah who revealed the verse of the Sword to his servant and messenger [the Prophet Muhammad], in order to establish truth and abolish falsehood. Praise be to Allah who said 'When the sacred months are over, kill the idolaters wherever you find them, take them captive, lay siege to them and lie in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they repent and perform the prayers and give alms, let them go. For God is most forgiving and merciful.'
Wow. I don't even know what to say.
…wait, yes I do: Osama bin Laden is a fucking Islamophobe for taking the Quran's verses out of context, right? Right??
Also, what the fuck was God thinking? If he predestined everything like Islam says he did, it means he wanted people to use those verses as justification for genocidal sprees against non-Muslims. He fucking wanted it. And if that's not what he wanted, then there's no such thing as predestiny and God's a liar.
And if God is all-knowing, then he would have seen this shit coming a mile away. He would have known that idiots would use verses from his book to fuck shit up, and he would have put a disclaimer at the beginning of the chapter. You don't need much: This is just for Mohammed and his situation with pagan tribes X, Y and Z in the year. Do not, for fucks sake, try to apply this to any situation outside of that specific situation. Nowhere in chapter 9 does it say that slaying the idolaters is only for Mohammed. And guess what? There's no fucking time limit. Slay away!
Also, that whole you have to learn Arabic to really get the Quran shit doesn't fly one bit in this case, does it? This might come as a shock to you, so brace yourself: Osama bin Laden speaks fluent Arabic. And so do a lot of other Arabic-fucking-speakers who are hell-bent (or is it heaven-bent?) on the destruction of all non-Muslims. So fuck anyone who comes on here touting that pile of bullshit. They've read this book in Arabic and they didn't walk away thinking Islam is the religion of peace and that killing anyone is a sin.
So why exactly doesn't God make it 110% clear so there's no doubt as to what these verses are talking about? Whhhhy? I'll tell you why: it's really hard to recite or reveal anything when you don't fucking exist. Mohammed was a goddamned opportunist. He saw an opening and he took it. God conveniently released him from his contractual obligations and gave him permission to wipe out anyone who would raise a stink about it. He could never have guessed that 1400 years later, some other shithead would use the same fucking verses to further his own agenda. Or that a bunch of other shitheads would coin the phrase Islamophobe to scare people into not talking about it.
Bah fucking humbug. That's all I have for this post. I realize at this rate, we might be stuck on chapter 9 for a while, but there's a lot to discuss. A lot lot. Coming up next: more hate, more ugliness, more bullshit. Stay tuned.
155 Responses
"So why exactly doesn't God make it 110% clear so there's no doubt as to what these verses are talking about? Whhhhy? I'll tell you why: it's really hard to recite or reveal anything when you don't fucking exist."
Well played.
-Maybe the faith verse is saying you can't be made to believe something e.g. I can't make you believe there is a god, you have to believe that yourself, and if you can't it's a sign that god has sealed your heart, so basically your just human garbage. Why live in garbage when you can burn it.
– sacred months or forbidden months. Seems like there is more here, like, for some reason (other then a treaty) they couldn't go kill them right then. Religious days of the year, winter, waiting for more fighters to show up etc. etc.
– I would guess that this all made perfect sense back in the day, after all it grew to over a billion people today…..
BTW the answers add on doesn't work on this page (all the other ones I used it on were OK). Did you use some setting that you haven't used before? It's hell not having my popup definitions.
Not only does Bin Laden speak Arabic, he knows Classical Arabic too, so he's better qualified to speak on true meanings of the Qu'ran than 90%+ of the Muslims in the world.
I also think you're being too hard on the neologism "Islamofascism". It doesn't mean Islam is fascism, or that Muslims are fascist (if it was a sweeping statement, there would be no need for the qualifier). It refers to a particular movement after the Second World War where various Islamic religious/political movements found inspiration from European fascism in the goals, culture and appearance. Think the Ba'ath Party, Hezbollah or Hamas. Note that a syncretism between religion and fascism is not unique to Islam – the Catholic Church shamefully indulged in fascist politics in Italy pre Second World War and Spain up until the 1970s, as well as providing support for conservative military regimes in Latin America.
The infamous idolaters verse is what prompted the pogrom of Hindus when the Muslims invaded India. Probably about 70 million people died in that invasion, and it only ended when Muslims realise that most Hindus would never give up their religion, even on pain of death, and so had a sudden "revelation" that Hindus were not idolaters after all.
Breathtaking! Stomach churning, or whatever it is in en/US. Please, keep up the excellent work.
Yours sincerely,
i've heard that line about how the Quran can only be fully interpreted correctly if read in Arabic, presumably due to context which i never really understood. i figured it was bullshit. now i know it is bullshit because you can't really take that shit out of context any damn way. perhaps it's one of those verses that later on can be cancelled or something, to the delight of the cherry-picking believers.
not surprisingly, the pagans are asked to convert and hand over their belongings and shit. but smile, god loves us. and mo needs convenience to get his pimp on.
It really doesn't seem to me like any of these ancient religious text actually offer much morality. It just seems like an endless chronology of religious invasion and war, and justifications for said brutality.
I hope people give up on believing this sort of nonsense.
There are a whole lot of less violent forms of nonsense to believe in.
"Maybe a bunch of asshole pagans made a treaty with the Muslims, and then secretly helped attack the Muslims."
I've heard Muslim apologists talking about the Banu Qurayza (you know, the Jewish tribe where Muhammad beheaded about 600-900 men and enslaved the women and children). They claim the Banu Qurayza had broken their treaty and were conspiring against the Muslims.
Guess what? This is true. Sort of. When the Meccans attacked Muhammad (Battle of the Trench), the Banu Qurayza then plotted with the Meccans to attack from the rear. You see, the Banu Qurayza were neighbors with the Muslims, but Muhammad had already driven all the other Jewish tribes out of Medina (by attacking/killing/exiling), plus attacked other tribes (like Khaybar) and trade caravans. I'm pretty sure the Banu Qurayza were fearful that Muhammad would attack them at some point, too, so they saw a chance and discussed it. It should be noted, however, that they never DID attack the Muslims or harm the Muslims — they only discussed it. Muhammad got wind of this and after the Meccans retreated, he used it as an excuse to attack the Banu Qurayza.
And you know what, KG? You didn't even make it to verse 29 yet! There is more crap to come! And not just verse 29.
I'm not sure about the forbidden or sacred months thing.
Just seems strange the way it is worded.
As far as things making sense back then, I don't know about that either. I mean, this shit doesn't make sense today and people still convert to Islam.
Well we are 1400 years removed and just like Christianity Islam cheery-picks and romanticizes what it wants to believe not what it wants to know.
In my experience, things don't necessarily need to be logical and reasonable for people to believe in them.
Well as I always say, if religion was logical and reasonable it would be called science. But back in the day if Mo told someone he just killed tribe X and that someone just got done having dinner with tribe X, the jig would be up.
I didn't do anything different to this page — not sure why the answers thing isn't working. I did install it on my computer right before I typed out the post. But I doubt that did anything to it.
I sent them mail, who knows maybe they'll "answer". :)
I'm going to be a bit like KG and comment on multiples.
KG: "It's a depressing thought that Osama might actually be the kind of Muslim God wanted everyone to be." This is what I felt like after picking up the Quran.
KG: "Wow, I had no idea. 70 million people." I've read 60-80 million. The number isn't really known. The records aren't that good, but 70 million is probably a good average estimate. This tragedy is slowly coming to light. Is it any wonder there are such tensions between India and Pakistan? Another number I've read (if memory serves) is there have been around 280 million deaths due to Islamic jihads. I think I still have that bookmarked if you want me to find it. Or maybe it was in a book I read.
Priest: "perhaps it's one of those verses that later on can be cancelled or something" Well, chapter 9 is the last or next-to-last to be revealed and abrogates all earlier teachings. This is as good as it gets!
I don't know if these verses are referring to the Banu Qurayza — I'm just speculating that could be part of it, but not all of it. I do know I've been told by Muslims that the Banu Qurayza betrayed Muhammad and their treaty and that's why Muhammad attacked — he had justification (ha!), even though the Banu Qurayza didn't harm a single Muslim. Well, he also attacked because Gabriel interrupted his bath and said, "What are you doing? Go kill them!" Kind of like GW Bush was justified in attacking Iraq. Make up any sorry excuse you need to go kill others. Sorry, didn't mean to make you gag.
The Meccan verses (such as "no compulsion in religion") are often much more peaceful/etc. The Medinan verses … well, you've just been reading them. I'm not saying the Meccan verses are logical, just more peaceful because Muhammad was weak and couldn't make too many waves. These are apparently where a lot of Muslims draw solace today, but not Osama bin Laden.
Oh, and here is that link I mentioned. I don't know much about this guy's credentials/etc. And I misremembered. He quotes 270 million deaths — the Tears of Jihad as he calls it.
I've never read the Quran. Glad you're doing it for me!
Keep up the good work!!
The whole argument about 'taking out of context' only works if the context is more palatable than the quote you're extracting, which is far from the case in this instance. In fact, the only context that would make acceptable "slay the idolaters where ever you find them" would be the word "Don't" before it.
As for the idea that it is somehow a translation problem, if the Quran in Arabic is some paean to peace and brotherhood, then all the English translations must be SERIOUSLY piss-poor. To paraphrase Sam Harris, I doubt that statements like Verse 5 above even survived translation into the Arabic.
With regards to the Banu Qurayza, if the best the apologists can come up with is saying 'it was OK to butcher the men and enslave the women and children because they were conspiring against Muslims', I'd hate to hear what the fundies have to say on the matter.
What makes the cultural relativism argument even weaker is that everywhere else in the book, God IS telling people to stop doing stuff that was considered OK at the time, such as 'Stop worshipping idols' or 'stop worshipping more than one God'. So why not just add a few more revolutionary ideas into the mix like 'stop raping anyone' or 'stop owning slaves'?
And 'worship or die' isn't exactly being sensitive to anyone's culture…
Yeah, its lovely as well that those 'ugly barbarian folks of yesteryear' are also sometimes known as 'The Son Of God' or 'The Prophet of God'. When such relativism is put forward as a form of religious apologism, what they are really saying is that these people were not morally or intellectually sophisticated enough to understand that rape or slavery might be wrong, yet we are to take their writings and ideas as the ultimate in moral guidance today.
I always find amazing the amount of intellectual gymnastics people will go through to try and justify their 'holy' books, when the obvious answer is right there – "IT JUST ISN'T TRUE". It is kind of like trying to leave a room by scratching at the wall, when there's an open door right in front of you.
Excellent post Kafirgirl. Ur brought out very accurately the sheer monstrosity of Chapter 9. For one thing, the killing instructions in this chapter and open-ended-no time and place restrictions and unconditional(not qualified by any conditions/situations).
The hatred against idolaters in Quran prompted the holocast of hindus. Elsewhere in Quran , u wud find in verses 21:51-71 and also Chapter 37, Abraham braeking idols to pieces. In verse 9:28, u will find idol worshippers referred to as najasun(unclean).
The hindus played their card well or so it seems.Whenever imposition of Islam was attempted, they fought back. But they didnt oppose Islam per se the way v r doing. They made no attempt to study Quran.Probably they had no access to it.
This "practice ur religion but dont impose on me" attitude and also the fact that hindus have scriptures -Vedas etc propmpted a rethink.The muslims thought hindus (despite) their idolatry are not same as pagans but are ahl-e-kitab(people of the book) like Jews and Christians.
For more details on the holocaust of hindus:
In this connection, one shud also read the recent e-mail of Indian Mujahideen who carried out blasts in Gujarat.
Anand – I doubt it was Hindu theology that won them over, I imagine it was more the fact that the Hindus were determined, and numerous, and the Muslims knew if they kept pushing things eventually the Hindus would find a strong leader, and push out Muslim invaders with a vengeance. It was the latter Mongol and Timurid invasions which probably halted the ongoing genocidal wars, as they pushed against the Arab states from the east.
"It was the latter Mongol and Timurid invasions which probably halted the ongoing genocidal wars, as they pushed against the Arab states from the east."
U mean Chengiz Khan, Hulagu Khan…?
Genghis, Hulagu, Kitaqaqu, Timur the Lame, et al. India was overrun in almost all of these invasions meaning Arabs could never achieve the religious penetration of the peninsula that they had in north Africa and the Levant.
Hulagu's main contribution was the destruction of Baghdad and Damascus, shifting Islam's power centre to the Mamluks of Cairo, who preceeded to make the religion even more inward looking, intolerant and reactionary.
He could never have guessed that 1400 years later, some other shithead would use the same fucking verses to further his own agenda.
many above me here have touched this, but i couldn't resist from saying it again. its not like 1400 later it's more like since 1400 years. this fucking verse probably caused more deaths and destruction than anything before/after this.
KG, you do realize that Pak, part of Afghan thru burma was once a part of India right? The number of Hindus / Indians killed due to the Muslim invasions puts the Holocaust numbers to shame. Well… that verse is still causing so much pain and suffereing in the world.. fucking short sighted bastardic verse.
motherfucking fucked up fucking FUCK!
what's fucken wrong?
My post just went back into your source code; apparently I'M doing something wrong. (No suprise there) Dbo, can you help?
jaz.. i saw a couple of right answers …;-)
@watercat… LOL. dont screwup kg's source code. i am confident she wouldn't be able to get this working if u did.. :D
OK; that post worked fine. Then I sent one with a link in it–it got eaten. The link That Will Not Be Sent is the same one that's linked to my name: clink on my name and it takes you right to the site. But if I include that same link in the comment, I fuck up KG's code the body of the comment gets lost. What can I do?
——n00b on the interwebs.
whoops I lied. My comment didn't dissappear, It's in there between comment 1735 and 1743
I tried to look around KG, but not much help. there are a couple of tweaks for longer URLs but noting for URLs in comments. I will try blogspot and get back to you. :( one of those days i guess.. nothign seems to work..
My settings are definitely not the issue.
I think wordpress settings are to blame. I tried blogspot and it worked fine. Maybe something with the initial settings or something. Let me know if this post went into spam as well.
My comments used to go into moderation for hours before appearing, and now they appear straight away. I assumed this was because I'd prayed for a mighty earthquake to smite those who would obstruct my wisdom, but it turns out it was just a bug in WordPress. How am I going to fit THAT into my worldview?
is good test; made me think; and what I thought was: I'm sure some people call Kafirgirl an Islamophobe (and worse) but I'd say she is the opposite.
KG identifies problems with the Qu'ran, (a, d) with using it for moral guidance (f) and what that implies for society (c,b). All these are good; necessary first steps in fixing anything is to admit there's a problem, and identify the source. And there is a problem with Islam Religion, for sure. (I'd nitpick over that term Xfascism)
(e) would be an Islamophobe. KG doesn't do that: she is FTW.
I get called a right-wing nutter by left-wing people and a godless liberal by others, so I feel am an equal opportunity offender.
I read the post and that email by Indian Mujahideen, 9:14 is quoted and some other stuff from that chapter too. I am still reeling in disbelief. Sadly people still believe that British imperialism was responsible for the rift between hindus and muslims. These people should read the sad history of invasion of India by muslims and the number of lives lost.
I think I made a mistake earlier when I said Muhammad had already attacked the Jews at the oasis of Khaybar before he attacked the Banu Qurayza Jews. I think Khaybar occurred afterwords. I'm not so good with timeline stuff. Also, I started thinking (be afraid) and if chapter 9 is the last or next-to-last chapter revealed, it is unlikely 9:5 was talking about the Banu Qurayza, since Muhammad had already slaughtered them. It was probably aimed more at the Meccans and other pagans/idolaters. Maybe someone more knowledgeable than I can help out here.
KG (and others), check out Robert Spencer talking about the Crusades, jihads, and more, including chapter 9, here:
He starts nearly 2:30 minutes into it.
Yes, Jasmine, I know Robert Spencer is from Jihad Watch. I sometimes read comments on that site and it cracks me up all the right wingers blaming the left/liberal types for Islamic issues in the west. I'm very much a social liberal, but even I can see the oppression/etc that the Quran creates for women and non-Muslims. Being a liberal, I want equality and respect for women. In fact, I want equality and respect for all people, regardless of race or gender or sexual identity/preference. Having differences of opinions is fine — we can debate them, but harming people is not.
I'm not really trying to defend Robert Spencer (he is a big boy and can certainly take care of himself), but I cannot recall reading anything by him where he said or gave the impression that he was against the rights of women (of any faith or race). And if he did, I would certainly not agree with him on that point. I *do* recall, though, a couple years ago where he blogged a very nice note about a Muslim friend of his who passed away, so I don't think he is solely Muslim-bashing. (Sorry, I don't have the link handy and I didn't bookmark it.) I know I personally try to keep a separation between what the Quran/Hadith say and what Muhammad as a role model did versus individual Muslims, who are individual people and must be evaluated on their own merits, just like everyone else.
Does Robert Spencer have other motives? Perhaps. Don't we all have motives? To me, he is just another data point. A source of information which I can then filter. I don't necessarily agree with his politics, but I don't have to.
The Bismillah is the opening phrase of every chapter of Quran, except Chapter 9, "The Repentance". But an extra one is found in 27:30 thus making the number of repetitions equal to the number of chapters in the Quran (114 = 19 x 6 where 19 is the number of letters in the Bismillah).
It is not that
" old Mo left it out on purpose"
Hi,interesting..I wish you'ld bother to read my 'copy-paste'..I copy-paste bcoz I couldn't tell it better..
A few selected verses from the Qur'an are often misquoted to perpetuate the myth that Islam promotes violence, and exhorts its followers to kill those outside the pale of Islam.
1. Verse from Surah Taubah
The following verse from Surah Taubah is very often quoted by critics of Islam, to show that Islam promotes violence, bloodshed and brutality:
"Kill the mushriqeen (pagans, polytheists, kuffar) where ever you find them."
[Al-Qur'an 9:5]
2. Context of verse is during battlefield
Critics of Islam actually quote this verse out of context. In order to understand the context, we need to read from verse 1 of this surah. It says that there was a peace treaty between the Muslims and the Mushriqs (pagans) of Makkah. This treaty was violated by the Mushriqs of Makkah. A period of four months was given to the Mushriqs of Makkah to make amends. Otherwise war would be declared against them. Verse 5 of Surah Taubah says:
"But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practise regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is oft-forgiving, Most merciful."
[Al-Qur'an 9:5]
This verse is quoted during a battle.
3. Example of war between America and Vietnam
We know that America was once at war with Vietnam. Suppose the President of America or the General of the American Army told the American soldiers during the war: "Wherever you find the Vietnamese, kill them". Today if I say that the American President said, "Wherever you find Vietnamese, kill them" without giving the context, I will make him sound like a butcher. But if I quote him in context, that he said it during a war, it will sound very logical, as he was trying to boost the morale of the American soldiers during the war.
4. Verse 9:5 quoted to boost morale of Muslims during battle
Similarly in Surah Taubah chapter 9 verse 5 the Qur'an says, "Kill the Mushriqs where ever you find them", during a battle to boost the morale of the Muslim soldiers. What the Qur'an is telling Muslim soldiers is, don't be afraid during battle; wherever you find the enemies kill them.
5.Critics find it easy to skip frrom verse 5 to verse 7
6. Surah Taubah chapter 9 verse 6 gives the answer
Surah Taubah chapter 9 verse 6 gives the answer to the allegation that Islam promotes violence, brutality and bloodshed. It says:
"If one amongst the pagans ask thee for asylum,grant it to him, so that he may hear the word of Allah; and then escort him to where he can be secure that is because they are men without knowledge."
[Al-Qur'an 9:6]
The Qur'an not only says that a Mushriq seeking asylum during the battle should be granted refuge, but also that he should be escorted to a secure place. In the present international scenario, even a kind, peace-loving army General, during a battle, may let the enemy soldiers go free, if they want peace. But which army General will ever tell his soldiers, that if the enemy soldiers want peace during a battle, don't just let them go free, but also escort them to a place of security?
This is exactly what Allah (swt) says in the Glorious Qur'an to promote peace in the world.
Excerpt from irf.net
I hope that clarifies it all..
okay.. i am not sure i understand what is going on. what's up with number 19? is there any ..ANY siginificance to that number? or is just a number some fucker came up with to prove that islam == science?
SHAKIR: When your Lord revealed to the angels: I am with you, therefore make firm those who believe. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them. (8:12)
Let's see … 8 + 12 = 20. 20 – 10 stricken finger tips = 10. 10 + 10 remaining toes = 20. 20 – 1 head = 19. A Quranic miracle!
I wonder what Khalifa had to say about the number of hijackers on 9/11 ?
WTF.. it jsut doenst make any sense.. u divide somethign by something just to get 19? convoluted logic.. then again.. it doesnt have any logic to it..
Thanks KG and Jaz. And btw, the answer to everything is really 42.
The Koran was a behavioural guide for a bunch of semi-literate desert nomads of the 7th century, so surely trying to apply any of it to modern society is 'taking it out of context'. Do Muslims just get to pick and choose which verses can be protected by the 'context' defence and which are the eternal and universal laws of god?
Even if you are to be granted the context defence, even your own post shows it to be a pretty weak one: when you do try to apply chapter 9 to a modern context, you choose of all things the Vietnam war, the conduct of which was considered morally abhorrent then as it is now.
You also seem to think that verse 6 makes everything all better, by stressing the part about granting your enemies asylum, and ignoring that this is AFTER they have heard the words of Allah. Verses 5 and 6 need to be read together, and they say 'Kill all the unbelievers wherever you find them, except for those who submit and convert to Islam'. In short, 'worship or die'.
If all this is considered OK in the context of a war, then how about this for a modern scenario:
The British Army march on the Muslim populations of Leeds and Bradford, and demand they convert to the Church of England and start paying tithes. Gordon Brown learns that some Muslims are still going to mosques, and may be planning a resistance, so gives them 4 months to submit. If they do not, would he be justified in telling his troops:
"slay the Muslims wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush"? I certainly don't think so, and assume you don't either.
As I argued above, the whole argument about 'taking out of context' only works if the context is more palatable than the quote you're extracting, which is far from the case in this instance.
(Oh, and by the way, tradtional methods of improving troop morale include improving the food, granting leave or proving some entertainment for the soldiers. I've never heard of ordering genocide being used in this way).
Lance, think again about your last point. Rape and pillage has always been a motivator for armies, both in the old days and in modern wars in for example Darfur. Isn't your point actually that what we consider "civilized" armies don't do it?
That's why the vietnam example is bogus. The US and their allied did take captives, etc as per the last half of verse; that's why Mai Lai resulted war crimes trials. Had we followed Wimmy's advice, it would have been a great victory, and also there would not be a single living person in Iraq or Afghanistan today. Fortunately, us atheists have a moral sense and prefer 'civilized' behavior to religious.
I didn't read verse 5 as rape and pillage, just extermination and subjugation. Good point about that war crimes trials – ' I ordered my soldiers to kill everyone they found, purely to boost their morale' probably wouldn't go down so well as a defence. It's none too hot as a piece of religious aplogism either.
So, many Prophets had to fight with their enemies. Prophets never wished a war with it's people. It is done for a purpose. If it were for the land and people, Prophet would call himself as the King which they never wished or did, but their aim is to strive in order to fulfill that light.
For goodness sake, if god was just, kind and merciful there would be no need for any prophets – he'd just hire sky-writers all over the world and relay his message to everyone. The prophets were all control freaks who didn't want people to question them. Mohamed had someone assassinate a poet (Asma bint Marwan) for writing in opposition to him. Wouldn't it have been more appropriate and moral to simply write a refutation to her piece? What kind of a prophet has someone killed for writing a poem he doesn't like? Is this a prophet after whose name you are comfortable saying 'peace be upon him'? How can you assert that behaviour as being exemplary?
I have no need to convince if you don't have an open mind..By open mind,you guys think that it relates to converting to islam..No,rather it means to be compassionate to others and their beliefs..
Now this is possibly THE most annoying matter when it comes to discussion with supporters of Mohamed – your position that the reason why people don't agree with Islam is because they are incapable of doing so until they look at it with an open mind – once a non-believer finally opens their mind, the truth of Islam would surely become evident.
It seems that it has not occured to you that you may be a supporter of Islam because YOUR mind has not opened as yet?
Re: kics said, on August 25th, 2008 at 7:59 am
I tried to get the quotes working, but my tags weren't recognised. What tags do we use to show the indented italicised quote graphic?
As well as missing the bismillah at the start, this chapter was also evidently missing the verse which said "DISCLAIMER: The following only applies when you are surrounded on all sides by treacherous, cannibalistic, sword-wielding, alcoholic bachelors. Otherwise, it's all love , peace and flowers". You would think an all-knowing God should have been quite aware of the interpretations his words might be given in later years, and at least put in some extra clauses to remove the doubt. Ah, but of course, "this is a book free from doubt and involution" – you just need an in-depth knowledge of early Middle Eastern history to be able to apply any of it…
That aside, you rather seem to have missed or ignored my point about context. If you can say that chapter 9 doesn't apply outside of its limited historical context, then why not the rest of the book? Can Muslim women around the world now joyously throw off their burqas and grab a beer and bacon sandwich, saying 'ah, all that stuff was only meant in the context of medieval Saudi Arabia"?
And a word of advice: all the people on this board take time out of their day to actually learn about the Koran and to discuss its meaning. For you to come on here and call us all close-minded is not just incorrect, it is also extremely arrogant and frankly insulting. If you want this dialogue to continue, I suggest you keep the insults to yourself, and instead try answering a few of the points people on here have made.
Sounds pretty much like Morpheus telling Neo about Matrix.
Mo: Take the blue pill and you will enjoy heaven with pretty boys. Take the red pill and you stay a pagan and all agents will come after you, making you believe in hell.
Muslim: Yes Mo, I will take the blue pill.
Michael said:
I'm just speculating that could be part of it, but not all of it. I do know I've been told by Muslims that the Banu Qurayza betrayed Muhammad and their treaty and that's why Muhammad attacked — he had justification (ha!)
I guess it was a dog eat dog world. Whoever got the opportunity first to amass the riches, struck. Only in case, the top dog-god were instituted in a single lunatic.
Quentin George:
Anand – I doubt it was Hindu theology that won them over, I imagine it was more the fact that the Hindus were determined, and numerous, and the Muslims knew if they kept pushing things eventually the Hindus would find a strong leader, and push out Muslim invaders with a vengeance. It was the latter Mongol and Timurid invasions which probably halted the ongoing genocidal wars, as they pushed against the Arab states from the east.
As a matter of fact, it was a brilliant military strategy adapted by Hindus that stopped these conversions and genocide. At the height of Auragzeb's rule, Sikh panth (way to god) was found by Gobind Singh. Following muslim tactics, he asked voluntary warriors to follow 5 K's which relate to things that will help you to be continuously at war. Successfull guerilla warfare ensured that Aurangzeb, who was collecting Jaziya from hindus, did not succeed in total conversion. A large percentage of muslims today in India can easily trace their lineage to some hindu family in times of aurangzeb.
OK, Nimmy, I'm going to give you one more go:
The restrictions on dress and diet were just EXAMPLES…
What I am saying is:
If you can say that chapter 9 doesn't apply outside of its limited historical context, then why not the rest of the book?
To make my point clear,i don't intend to cling on here withstanding loads of insults..Im not obsessed with defending my faith,and you can continue with athiests alone blog..But if you are interested,we will talk and share ideas..but take care to speak polite.Nobody is to be taken for granted..
@Lance,the answer you r asking in reference to chapter 9 is simple..
Answer from Holy Quran:
2:190 AND fight in God's cause against those WHO WAGE WAR AGAINST you, but do not commit aggression-for, verily, God does not love aggressors.
002.190 Fight in the cause of Allah THOSE WHO FIGHT YOU, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors
This law hold true ,whenever muslims are first attacked..not the other way round..Allah doesn't tell "go kill people who are watching mive in thier bedroom",Intstead,this verse allows to fight against people who pick and fight with muslims..That too,Islam has a set of war ethics..But who follows the rules:-/ then again,that is fault with muslims and not fault with Islam
History is not static, it is dynamic and cyclic. So it applies to the same conditions, whenever such a situation happens.
"…then why not the rest of the book?"..can u make it clear..Any reference?
Nimmy, 9:5 (the later verse) abrogated 2:190 (the earlier verse). It really is that simple.
You also said, "whenever muslims are first attacked..not the other way round" … so why on Earth did Muhammad initiate so many confrontations? From attacking trade caravans (killing/stealing/kidnapping), attacking Jewish/pagan tribes (killing/enslaving/raping), or assassinations of critiques — Muhammad participated or ordered all of this. The only time he was engaged in a defensive battle was the Battle of the Trench in which the Meccans attacked him. Why did hey attack? Could it be they traveled hundreds of miles across the desert to attack him at Medina because he kept attacking their trade caravans and they were tired of it? So, you might could say he even instigated that confrontation, too.
KG: "Doesn't that mean that the entire book was only for those people at that time?" Exactly.
we are just proud to be Pakistani
Why? Culture-ism, nationalism, political-ism, socialism are completely subjective and are little more then substitutes for, or parallel to religion-ism. It's just a warm fuzzy feeling to say your proud to be randomly born in a certain place, among certain people, with certain culture and beliefs that you had nothing to do with. The only ism worth pursuing is Atheism (when applied beyond god) because it promotes strong individualism.
Just my opinion that I felt compelled to share.
There's nothing wrong with it per se that's just how the human animal rolls. But trying to understand it is where the difficulty lays. An example would be "I'm extremely proud of my dark brown skin" skin color does not define a persons moral, ethical or social value, it is superficial, yet people fight, die and define them self (and others) by it. Not only is that interesting to try and examine, it's the same engine that drives religion (in my view).
In any case just a POV I hope you may find interesting to think about.
Flash! Ahmed Ali is from South Carolina, USA.
"Do you, then, believe a part of the Book and reject a part?
This is verse 2:86 in the Ahmed Ali translation. In Amatl Rahman Omar's translation, it is verse 85. Specifically, the last half of verse 85. Ali started a new verse there and Omar didn't. As a result, Omar 86 is Ali 87, and so forth: Until verse 167, Omar splits it into two verses, Ali doesn't. Result is that the rest of the verses match, but Ali's 86-167 are all out of synch.
This should sound familiar since earlier in comments we discovered how Arthur Wendor "fixed" Ali's error by having two verses 86, and no verse #168? That way, only those two specific verses are numbered wrong, all the rest are numbered like the rest of the people: Arberry, Sale, Pickthall, they all agree with Omar. This supports the hypothesis that Ali is a fuckwit.
Halfway through marking South Carolina's northern border, the surveyor's realized they were in the wrong place. So they just moved forty miles north and kept going. Look at a map of SCarolina and you will still see a zigzag in the border, pretty much like Ali's versifying.
Fucken rednecks!
Ah! The 'context' of chapter 9 is now chapter 2. How free from doubt and involution this all is. Anyway, KG and Michael have already dealt with that sufficiently, so let's move on…
You asked me for an example, when I already gave you three – beer, burqas and bacon. But let's stick to the last one for now. It probably made perfect sense from a food-hygiene perspective to prohibit the eating of pork in a desert environment with no refrigeration, but people still follow this law NOW. So why is chapter 9 decreed to be only relevant to its immediate historical context, but other 'revelations' are considered to be timeless and universal?
Even if you are to be granted that Chapter 2 is the context for chapter 9, the big problem we have is that a significant part of the Muslim world DOES think they are under attack, and from the slightest – even imagined – provocation. (Your constant feeling that you are being insulted suggests you aren't immune to this phenomenon). When the drawing of a cartoon or the naming of a teddy bear can result in rioting and violence, then to say that chapter 9 can only be applied when you feel you have been attacked doesn't seem much of a restriction. Osama felt that even the stationing of US troops in Saudi to protect it from invasion was an attack on the Umma, and rolled out Chapter 9 in no time.
And I'm sorry, but it is a problem with Islam. It is a great positive that some Muslims such as yourself can interpret the faith to be peaceful, but there are plenty of people who don't, and from what I can see, their reading of the Koran is hardly a gross misrepresentation of its content. You say that 'Allah doesn't tell "go kill people who are watching mive in thier bedroom"', but it does say – by your own admission – that if you feel you are under attack, you should then "slay the idolaters wheresoever you find them". This may not be their bedrooms, but does seem to include their office blocks and subway trains.
@Kafirgirl,thank u for you nice words..In fact,you guys have digged into Quran and history so much that I feel ashamed of myself..I admire the know how of all of us.Great..
As long as you will continue to look at the verses in ISOLATION, you will continue to face this problem of violent Islam.
Take each of the verse and study the verses BEFORE and LATER to it.
For example, the Chapter no. 9, is one chapter which is a series of instructions and responses TO the people (disbelievers) WHO violated the peace treatise with the Muslims. It also discusses people who had to consequently strive against such disbelievers, but who chose NOT to (because they were hypocrites).
In the same manner if you look at the verses in Ch. no. 2, you will find that it is for the people who persecuted the Muslims and DENIED them the right to Pilgrimage.
In other places you will find that the fighting the disbelievers is to fight against aggression e.g. Why should you not fight the disbelievers in the way of God, when they oppress the weak, the women and children.
So the apparent tone may sound to be inclined towards some sort of warmongering. But in actual it is meant ONLY against the aggressors OR the ones who violate the peace treatise.
P.S:Jews and christians are not Pagans
Can I ask you something,if Allah ordered muslims to slay all non-muslims,
1.How come so many christians live in muslim countries??
2.Why there are 80% Non Muslims in India,even when India was ruled by muslims for over 400yrs??
3.Jews and christians ordered to pay tax,while liiving in muslim countiries,why not kill them instead???
4.Did u wake this morning knowing that there r 1500 million people in this world who want to kill u??
The whole of Quran ,in my opinion,is to be taken in context,not historical context..The same verse applies true whenevre such a similar situation happens.i.e.whenever muslims are attacked,try to make peace/treaty..If they still keep pestering you,go defend yourself..That is what ALLAH says,atleast that is what i understand..
Whoever,may it be any individual or group of people,take the Quran and quote it to suit their motives,are only muslims for namesake..
They were going for a battle, and what do u do when u see a combatant enemy??do u eat pizza with him?:)
Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not. (2:216)
Most people don't like fighting, but sometimes it's the only way to end agression. Maybe you're so peaceful you won't do anything to harm those that harm you. But this is even more harmful in the longrun. Peaceful religions like Buddhism and Jainism allow them to be walked all over by other people. Do you want other conquerers walking all over you, putting you in humiliation and fear without fighting back? Afghanistan was a Buddhist country- how many Buddhists do you see there now? Jainism was huge in India, but it was easily taken over by northern conquerers- the first masjid in Delhi was built on top of a Jain temple area. This is because they run rather than fight. Also, 'peaceful' religions like Buddhism and Jainism allow their followers to kill others in self-defence too. Their self-defence rules are more strict because they can't attack at all, they can only defend (Islam allows pre-emptive attack as a form of self-defence), but even Buddhists and Jains can be 'violent' to protect themselves. But unlike Muslims, they're unwilling to end oppression..
Surah Tawbah was revealed in 3 parts
The first discourse (vv. 1-37), was revealed in Zil-Qa'adah A. H. 9
The second discourse (vv., 38-72) was sent down in Rajab A. H. 9
The third discourse (vv. 73-I 29) was revealed on his return from the Campaign of Tabuk.
When Islam spread,The pagans of Makkah felt desperate and that was when the treaty was broken
It is decisively clear that the war was against certain people who failed Muslims' treaties and aided others against them. Are we to be blamed for fighting such people?
If Iran has a peace treaty with America and then Iran plots to attack America and they find out through the spies so you are telling me that America can't break the treaty???
Wasn't it Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) when he conquered Madina,He forgive every single non combatant??Even when some warriors did not fight,they were also not touched!!!
Lets agree that many verses you quoted are quoted out of reference and that distorts the true meaning.
However that is never the problem. The biggest problem is that some Muslims conveniently use these verses as and when it suits them. I know that the world rightly looks at what Muslims DO and not at what is in the Quran.By more and more people learning and understanding Islam in the right way,there will be pace on earth..
I talk ignoring the facts about oppression against muslims all over the world..Can anybody tell me which Holy book are they using to deal with such cruelity..You guys are atheists,still you are human beings..Tell me what justification can one give for what is happening to women,children,economy of those muslim nations where 'world police' went to set things 'striaght'..Can you tell me why they needn't justify thier acts,unlike we muslims who are set out to talk against sick acts of sick 'muslims'..
That was a long comment..i hope it is readable..Good day.Sorry for spelling mstakes..
This is all what I know about the verses we are talking about.I hope I did some justification from my part..It is indeed very sad that a whole community is under scrutiny just bcoz of some fanatics..Are you telling me that Islam and muslims are the only cause for trouble and misery in this world?I agree these people add fuel to an already set fire..But the roots casues are many many many.We are just commenting about bomb blats..Have we ever thought of what is after or before such acts..Killing others or killing oneself is never a great act.Anybody who has money can buy even a nuclear bomb and blast it..But when too many people does it,we need to look into underlying causes and instead of wiping out the 'acts',we should be able to wipe out the 'causes that lead to such acts'…am I right?
Good day
Sorry for 3 comments in a row..
Just to make it clear that those verses are meant for when in war alone,see these verses:
"…If anyone killed a person not in retaliation for murder or to spread mischief in the land, it would be as if he killed the whole of mankind. And (likewise) if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the whole of mankind"(Surah Al-Maaida 5:32)
"Allah does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion, nor drove you out of your homes. Indeed, Allah loves those who deal with equity" (Surah Al-Mumtahinah 60:8)
"There is no compulsion in religion. The right path has indeed become distinct from the wrong. So whoever rejects false worship and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break. And Allah is All Hearing, All Knowing"(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:256)
"…If anyone killed a person not in retaliation for murder or to spread mischief in the land, it would be as if he killed the whole of mankind. And (likewise) if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the whole of mankind"(Surah Al-Maaida 5:32)
You are missing out crucial words at the start of they ayat;
[005:032] On that account: We ordained for the Children of Israel that if any one slew a person – unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land – it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people. Then although there came to them Our apostles with clear signs, yet, even after that, many of them continued to commit excesses in the land.
THE ABOVE VERSE APPLIES TO "the Children of Israel:-THE JEWS AND NOT TO THE MUSLIMS.
I agree with u KG. As of now, it seems that moral courage to face the facts-WHAT QURAN ACTUALLY SAYS-is with two kinds of the people in muslim world:
1.The Jihadists-These ppl dont pretend that verses means something else, context etc etc.They say reason and humanity be damned.Faith is important and implement it.
2.The Apostates-These ppl also honestly see what the verses mean. For them reason and humanity mean more than faith and they soo good-bye to Islam.
It is the lot of moderate muslims-who keep fooling themselves-is pitiable.
So, far u have analysed 9 chapters very well indeed.Several ppl who visit this blog have given valuable inputs like watercat, QG, MIchael etc. I think, seriously u should think about compling all this matter as a book on Quran and publish it. In India publishers dont have the b***s to do it. In US, u will be able to do it. It will help lot of ppl see the truth. Take backup of all ur posts and threads.
I respect KG's word and dont want to prolong the discussion.
Atheists in general tend to support secularism
I believe by 'secularism' KG meant the absence of any religion not the fucked up form (treating all religions equally).
P.S: I wanted to clarify that coz in India it's usually taken to be the fucked up form.
"You are missing out crucial words at the start of they ayat;
[005:032] On that account: We ordained for the Children of Israel that if any one slew a person – unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land……"
Actually Anand, this verse is used by Islamic scholars – and not just to paint a nice picture of Islam.
See that little bit about "except for spreading mischief in the land(Fitna)"? That is the modern basis for killing Murtadoon (ex-Muslims). In Egypt for example in the Hegazi case, "smiling while being a Christian" was felt by one Imam to constitute Fitna – and all Imams felt that Mr. Hegazi had to be killed for his conversion.
I've seen this "specific situation" excuse applied to the Bible also, like:
Jesus Christ telling someone that he ought to sell everything he has and give the money to the poor (Mark 10:21). — JC is mentioning him as an example of a more general principle.
Paul telling us that women ought to shut up about religion and let their husbands instruct them (1 Cor 14:33-35). — there is no hint of any special problems with any specific church.
KafirGirl, there are plenty of retarded things in the Bible as well as in the Koran. But I appreciate you spending the time to give the Koran the dissection it deserves.
Paul telling us that women ought to shut up about religion and let their husbands instruct them (1 Cor 14:33-35). — there is no hint of any special problems with any specific church.
Loren, this was talked about a bit in another thread. 1 Corinthians 14 (34-35) are textual alterations that do not appear in the oldest texts, but appeared in newer texts. The alterations were added by scribes because women were getting to have too much of a voice in the early Christian church and they were trying to stop that from happening (sadly). In all fairness, since this is a well-known error, it should be removed from future Bibles.
There were at least female apostles and leaders in the early Christian church, but that changed over time. Mary Magdalene played an influential role, but the Pope later re-branded her as a whore. Bastard.
Mary was a companion of Jesus as well as the other disciples. She may have even been a disciple or the Beloved Disciple. She witnessed the crucifixion while the other disciples fled and was the first to discover the empty tomb. The fact that the New Testament records this event — the resurrection, which is the foundation of Christianity — is somewhat interesting to me, especially given the role and treatment of women at the time. Prophet? No, but still important. At least that's the story.
Hello again. If I may? A few tidbits I learned from the ulemaa over my long, long years (too long) of being a Muslim. Someone should benefit from all the time I sat listening and studying these things.
The reason Surah Taubah does not begin with the basmala is that "there is no mercy therein." Surah Taubah is also known as al Bara'a, or the Ultimatum.
As I was taught, the pact referred to in the beginning of the chapter is the Treaty of Hudaybiyah, which was between the Muslims, and consequently their allies, and the Meccans, and consequently their allies.
The Muslims declared the Treaty broken when members of a Quraish-aligned tribe, the Banu Bakr, attacked and killed members of a Muslim-aligned tribe, Banu Quza'ah. I do not recall being told that Banu Quza'ah were themselves Muslims. They may have been. Some historians say that after escalating tensions between Banu Bakr and Banu Quza'ah that the Quraish did supply some small amount of arms and military assistance to Banu Bakr. Surah Taubah and the treaty have nothing to do with the Bani Qurayza or Jews.
The Muslims claimed that the Quraish could have done more to control or prevent Banu Bakr from attacking Banu Bakr; Abu Sufyan and other Quraishi leaders said they could not. Either way, the Muslims declared the treaty violated used it as a pretext to amass an army against the Quraish, which ended in the victory at Mecca, or the Fathi Makkah. Maybe the Quraish were telling the truth or maybe the Muslims were. It's hard to say from this distance in history.
Although I am a former Muslim, and must hide my identity, and can't start my own blog about this matter because we do not have free speech where I live, I have to say that it does hurt and bother me that the Muslims have to be liars at every single turn for too many who read this great blog. It's really not the way to bring people who are questioning and in doubt to free thought or away from Islam. Maybe you don't think they're here reading this blog, but they are.
The 'four months' may refer to the types of treaties that had been signed with different tribes.
Here is the problem with this chapter and any of the rest of Islam. It does refer to specific incidents in history, including the verses that are so upsetting here. This is something that is known if pepole study the Quran with specialised scholars, which Osama bin Ladin definitely never did. Every time I have had the opportunity to study this chapter, this point is driven home – that it is referring to a specific incident in history. Like it or not, that is what a lot of Muslims are taught when this chapter comes up. Not that it can be applied at will to any non Muslim out there. That is what a lot of regular Muslims think of this chapter and its directives. That it was meant for a specific time and place. Legal issues are more obscure and mundane than this blog has the time for, as well as beyond my training.
At the same time, however, it is those same scholars who formulate and then hand down the most ridiculous, oppressive rulings on Muslim people. So on the one hand, you get 'no, no that refers to a specific incident' and on the other you get some asshole telling you that it's haraam to use a microwave. So you lose some, you lose some.
I'm not sure I follow this. It seems obvious that it refers to some specific treaty, from reading it, it just doesn't say which one, so we're left to interpret it however. I think we get the history you outline above from the hadith, I don't know if there are any non-muslim accounts of it. All I can think of is the Gulf of Tonkin, USS Maine, the Mukden Incident, false flag operations in general….
What specialized scholars are you referring to? Do you mean OBL never learned that it referred to the Treaty of Hudaybiyah? That seems impossible. Either way, most of the things in there refer to specific incidents; doesn't mean they can't generalize it into a moral lesson of whatever sort. ???
What do you mean 'Muslims have to be liars at every single turn" ?
Thanks for sharing that, Happy To Be Gone.
Here is what bothers me, though. If the Quran is the unaltered and perfectly preserved word of Allah and if Allah intended these verses (instructions) to be only for a certain event/incident, the Quran should state "Fight the unbelievers at the oasis of ____ because they broke the treaty with my Messenger." Or something similar. When you have to resort to the Hadith, which many claim are not reliable, it leads to serious issues. Instead of the Quran describing an event, it ends up being a commandment to kill non-Muslims until all religion is for Allah.
I fully understand not all Muslims are out to wage war or intentionally harm others, but it leaves me unconvinced when I hear from the Islam is Peace crowd. I just have trouble understanding how they can reconcile things like this.
Anyway, I'm rambling. Thanks for sharing!
You missed something hilarious. You see, in the days of Jahiliyyah, the Arabs observed a lunisolar calendar – they matched their months with the phases of the moon, but every now and then they inserted an extra month, an intercalary or leap month, to make up for the five or six days lost every year because the Moon's orbital period is slightly less than 1/12 of a solar year. Now old Mo couldn't quite wrap his mind around the need for this, so what does he do? He bans the intercalary month forever (because he saw it as nothing but an excuse to postpone the "forbidden" months), with the result that the Islamic calendar now has jack shit to do with the actual cycle of the seasons. Check this out:
[009:036] The number of months in the sight of God is twelve (in a year)- so ordained by Him the day He created the heavens and the earth; of them four are sacred: that is the straight usage. So wrong not yourselves therein, and fight the Pagans all together as they fight you all together. But know that God is with those who restrain themselves.
[009:037] Verily the transposing (of a prohibited month) is an addition to Unbelief: the Unbelievers are led to wrong thereby: for they make it lawful one year, and forbidden another year, in order to adjust the number of months forbidden by God and make such forbidden ones lawful. The evil of their course seems pleasing to them. But God guideth not those who reject Faith.
Verily the number of "months" (lunar phase cycles) in the sight of God is twelve in a year, because God just fucking can't do math.
Fucken Awesome, fluffy. I really wondered what those verses were all about.


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Web of DeceitSubmitted by Karen on January 25, 2013 - 6:50pm
When paramedics Jane and Alex encounter a man refusing to get out of his crashed car with bystanders saying he deliberately drove into a pole, it looks like a cry for help. His claim that someone is out to get him adds to their thinking that he is delusional.
Later that day he is found dead under a train in what might be a suicide, but Jane is no longer so sure: she remembers the terror in his eyes.


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Welcome to Lighthouse by the Sea...where I hope you'll find peace and tranquility in your heart as you share in the blessings of our Lord. This site is dedicated to Him to honor His goodness and His mercy. I hope that you have already met our precious Lord upon your arrival here. If not, by the time you leave my pages, I sincerely hope that you have come to know our wonderful Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is our Lighthouse by the Sea..."
Proud to be God's daughter!
Please visit
Nana's Cottage.
Please visit Nana's Cottage.


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A pile of my friends, and my friends' friends, have been dogging on those of us who are posting our "30 Days of Thankfulness" during the month of November.
Let's get one thing straight - I love to say thank you.
I want people to know that what they did for me was appreciated.
I want to make people feel special.
I have a great life, and there are things that happen everyday to remind me of that.
|Found this on Pinterest today. What a great reminder!
I love the holidays,
I love my job,
I love my boyfriend,
I love my dog,
I love good food,
I love my friends,
I love my family.
And you're darn straight I love this blog, among other gems in my life.
I will never get tired of telling you that, so please don't view my "30 Days of Thankfulness" as a ploy for attention.
What are you thankful for today? Please feel free to share them below.
Until next time,


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TAIPEI—Enforcement officials from the Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Industry and Commerce recently uncovered serious food safety violations at an underground poultry processing factory. Sanitation conditions inside the factory were appalling. Inspectors found chicken parts covered in mud and other foul materials.
The factory, unpermitted and previously uninspected, processed hundreds of kilograms of chicken parts daily for local restaurants and supermarkets. The factory was often unable to keep up with demand.
According to the Hong Kong's Sing Pao Daily News, the factory was divided into an outside room and an inside room. In the outside room, partially defrosted chicken parts were piled up directly on the floor. A worker peeled blood-stained ice off the chicken parts and then threw them back into a small pool on the floor containing a mixture of blood and water.
The floor, which had at one time been paved with white tiles, was now in very poor condition, at least half the floor tiles were missing. Chicken parts were thrown directly onto the floor. The unsanitary mixture of chicken parts, blood, water, mud and cement would cause concern to any observer.
At the entrance to the inside room there were several large white plastic buckets with something brown surrounding their rims. Flies buzzed constantly over these buckets. Inside, a worker was busy with his chores, oblivious to the various dirty liquids which flowed from the room.
According to the owner of a nearby roadside vending cart, the factory has been operating for three years. It processes hundreds of kilograms of chicken parts each day. Each half-kilogram of chicken parts is worth somewhere between 15 yuan (US$1.98) and 25 yuan ($3.3). He also said that the factory was doing such a brisk business that it could not keep up with demand.
A delivery man was interviewed at the factory when he arrived to pick up an order. According to him, because of the recent hot weather, such cold appetizers were selling very well. He has recently picked up orders at the factory nearly every day.


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I've intentionally left off any sentiment, so I have more options when I'm ready to use it...
A couple die cut cardstock flourishes are layered beneath the cluster of paper roses, leaves, and cream cardstock "greenery." I didn't have roses in the muted golden color I wanted, so I took a few bright yellow and white paper roses and spritzed them with my homemade mist of Tea Dye Distress Ink, distilled water, and a small bit of "Perfect Pearl" Perfect Pearl powder and they turned out just as I wanted. A little bit of Pumpkin Spice Versamark ink around the edges of the cream cardstock leaves brought everything all together...
A couple handmade pearl wire spirals and a sprinkling of loose pearls here and there throughout the greenery added the touch of "bling" that I always feel the need to add to my cards... :)
Patterned papers: My Minds Eye Miss Caroline/Dolled Up (gold & aqua); Miss Caroline/Dilly Dally (wood)
Dies: Memory Box Elegant Scrollwork; My Favorite Things Dizzy Border & Royal Leaves; Spellbinders
Classic Scallop Edgeabilities
Lace: TheFunkieJunkie.com Pearls & paper roses: Prima Punch: Martha Stewart Medium Branch
Thanks so much for visiting today!