Aurangzeb, Sikhs and Hindus

Aurangzeb, Sikhs and Hindus | http://MikeGhouseforIndia.blogspot.com

Personally, I have repeatedly condemned Aurangzeb�s forcible conversions of Hindus.  Even though he was famous for his justice, but he fell short on it, when he forced conversions on his subjects.

The author writes about the conflict between Sikhs and Aurangzeb as political, indeed it is so similar to the deeply embedded hatred of Jews� as Christ Killers, which is dumb, Jesus did not preach Christianity when he was persecuted, he taught reformed version of the old testament which was not liked by the establishment and thus punished him as a rebellious heretic Jew, and not as a Christian. 

Dr. Harbans Lal also has talked about  the conflict between Aurangzeb and Guru Gobind Singh as political and not religious, he is planning to write an article about it.

There is a lot of gossip material out there on every one; hence I am seeking the source of this information. I don�t have anything but the name of the author on it.

I know one thing for sure, with a few exception, a majority of the Kings were greedy men focused on taking over the next door kingdom, looting their wealth, collecting lagan etc etc.  Kings from all religions were the same. If there was a Muslim ass, you will find a Hindu, Christian and Buddhist ass.  Men were bad and not their religions.

The acts were their own.

Mike Ghouse
http://MikeGhouseforIndia.blogspot.com

The truth about Sultan Aurangzeb

Aurangzeb
by: Abid Mohammed

The Emperor Aurangzeb, who rose to the throne in the 17th Century as the sixth Mughal ruler over �India�, is often painted as a vicious, religiously intolerant, minority-suppressing fanatic, whose only job was to demolish temples in favour of mosques, antagonise his father and brothers, and single-handedly bring down the once magni?cent Mughal Empire. And yet, the reality of the situation is that this could not be further from the truth.  Aurangzeb would often say about himself, �This weak old man, this shrunken helpless creature, is af?icted with a hundred maladies besides anxiety, but he has made patience his habit�. Once, when one of Aurangzeb�s servants stumbled against him and knocked him down accidentally, the servant collapsed in fright for fear of retribution. The Mughal emperor spoke to him kindly, however, saying �Why do you fear a created being, one like myself? [�] Rise and do not be afraid.�

Even the Italian historian Manucci who was present during Aurangzeb�s rule, despite loathing him and preferring his far less religious brother Dara Shikoh (many question whether he was a Muslim at all due to the fact that he tried to create a hybrid religion between Hinduism and Islam), said that Aurangzeb

��assumes always great humility of attitude�. Even when one of his of?cers disobeys him, he betrays no anger. All he says is, (and that in the softest voice) that he is only a miserable sinner, that there is no reason for astonishment if his orders are disregarded, since every day those of God Himself are neglected and repudiated. He does not forget, however, to repeat his orders and adopt every exact means of getting them executed.�

In one of his letters, Aurangzeb said, We must put up with every class of people, what is to be done with them? They are also people and Do you know who a brave man is? A brave man is he who puts up with his enemies.

Writing to his father, Shah Jahan of the famous Taj Mahal (incidentally the name �Taj Mahal� is a corruption of the �Mumtaz Mahal� � the name of Shah Jahan�s beloved wife, and for whom the tomb was built for) Aurangzeb insightfully said, "I wish you to recollect that the greatest conquerors are not always the greatest Kings. The nations of the earth have often been subjugated by mere uncivilised barbarians, and the most extensive conquests have, in a few short years, crumbled to pieces. He is the truly great King who makes it the chief business of his life to govern his subjects with equity."

To his son, Prince Azam, Aurangzeb wrote,

I have heard that in your heart Jagir districts oppression is practiced openly [�] Fear the sighs of the oppressed.

Modern historians love to paint Aurangzeb as a villain. And yet, even they admit their double standards towards him. Abraham Early writes,

Later historians saw Aurangzeb in an altogether different light. As the passage of time faded the memory of his innumerable small acts of everyday kindness, but magni?ed his few notable misdeeds, such as his religious intolerance, his ruthlessness as a conqueror, his use of tactics to get the better of others, and more than anything else, his harsh treatment of his father, brothers and sons. But his predecessors too were guilty of similar acts � Jahangir and Shah Jahan had rebelled against their fathers; Jahangir had imprisoned and blinded and even thought of executing one of his sons; Shah Jahan was guilty of liquidating his brothers and nephews, and had also swerved from Akbar�s liberal religious policy; as aggressors, none of them, not even Akbar was much different from Aurangzeb.

Of course the religious intolerance being pointed to here is in comparison to Akbar�s �religious tolerance� � the latter�s included the banning of facial hair for Muslims, declaring it unlawful to believe in Angels, banning the slaughter of cows for Muslims, persecution of scholars and so on. Aurangzeb merely enabled Muslims to practice their religion freely. Any persecution of minorities that did take place was not general, but speci?c, nor was it religious in nature, but rather political in aim. There are many claims of Aurangzeb �oppressing the Sikhs and their Gurus� when history shows us that there were some Sikh communities who rebelled against Aurangzeb and so, as a ruler, he dealt with them as a ruler deals with his people, not as a Muslim seeking to oppress non-Muslims. Even the Wikipedia page on Aurangzeb states the well-known fact that just as he demolished some (maximum 80 in a country 20 times the size of the UK) temples, which served as political centres for rebellion, he also ?nanced the building of many temples and Gurdwaras which posed no threat to the Mughal rule.

And as for the harsh treatment of his father, brothers and sons � Shah Jahan wanted Aurangzeb�s elder brother, Dara Shikoh to be the next emperor even though Dara Shikoh was a terrible leader and someone who very much wanted to reinstate Akbar�s persecutory laws towards Muslims. Aurangzeb�s other brothers were less exciting � they simply wanted to be emperors. Aurangzeb was the only one who realised that power was a responsibility not an opportunity to exercise one�s desires, and so he was forced to battle his brothers and imprison his father who only wanted power for the sake of power, in a palace, with each and every one of his needs being seen to.

Aurangzeb, unlike many of his predecessors, viewed being a ruler as a sacred duty rather than something to enjoy. He therefore spent every waking moment striving to discharge his responsibilities, lest he be held culpable on the Day of Judgement for not having done so. Once, one of his well-intentioned advisers suggested that Aurangzeb should lighten his workload, but the Emperor would hear none of it.

He (the adviser) seems not to consider that, being born the son of a King, and placed on a throne, I was sent into the world by Providence to live and labour, not for myself, but for others; that it is my duty not to think of my own happiness except so far as it is inseparably connected with the happiness of my people. It is the repose and prosperity of my subjects that it behoves me to consult; nor are these to be sacri?ced to anything besides the demands of justice, the maintenance of royal authority, and the security of the State.

This desire to serve God, something which was equally as manifest in his great, great, great grandfather Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire, was apparent to all those around Him. The British Ambassador Norris reports that he used to see Aurangzeb, even during battle,

surrounded by greate numbers of Horse & vast numbers of people crowding to see Him [�] he himselfe tho� carryd openly saw nobody, having his eyes always af?xed upon a Booke he carryd in his hands & reading all ye way he went without ever divertinge to any other object.

This book was the Qur�an. Aurangzeb had memorised it completely. And he would constantly recite it. Abdul Aziz, the chief of the Uzbegs who had rebelled against Aurangzeb, famously noted that even during their famous battle, Aurangzeb would calmly spread his prayer mat on the ?eld, kneeling down to say the evening prayers in the midst of the furore that was taking place around him. �To ?ght with such a man,� he said, �is to court one�s own destruction.� In fact, the Qur�an was his sole means of ?nance. Though he presided over the richest empire in the world at the time (Shah Jahan�s famous peacock throne made from pure gold is in today�s terms worth more than $804 million), he refused to take any money from the treasury. Instead, he would earn his living by producing handwritten copies of the Qur�an, using the beautiful calligraphy he had mastered as a child.

�His vest did not cost above 8 Rupees, and his outer garments, less. Whatever Aurangzeb needed for his own use he always paid for, never accepting presents from others,� continued Norris.

Even the shroud he was buried in was bought using this same source of revenue. Towards the end of his life, having taken the Mughal Empire to the peak of its existence (henceforth it would plummet into its abolition in 1857) the Alamgir (�Conqueror of the World� � a title he adopted in ascending to the throne) would often recite:

In a twinkle, in a minute, in a breath,

The condition of the world changes.

In a ?nal letter to his sons, he said,

I brought nothing with me into this world and am carrying with me the fruits of my sins. I know not what punishment will fall on me [�] Whatever the wind may be, I am launching my boat on the water.

And to his Vizier, Asad Khan, he wrote,

Praise be to God, that in whatever place and abode I have been, I have been passing through it, withdrawn my heart from all things connected with it, and made death easy for myself.

Aurangzeb, may God be pleased with him, passed away during the dawn prayers. Even as he lost consciousness, says Mustaid Khan,

the force of habit prevailed, and the ?ngers of the dying King continued mechanically to tell the beads of the Tasbih they held.

And what was his funeral like? In accordance with his will: �Three hundred and ?ve rupees, from the wages of copying the Qur�an, are in my purse for personal expenses. Distribute them to the poor and needy on the day of my death [�] do not spend it on my shroud and other necessitates.� He stated elsewhere that this was �in case I had made a mistake in copying the Qur�an, as I will be answerable to that� �Bury this wanderer [�] with his head bare, because every ruined sinner who is conducted bare headed before the Grand Emperor (God), is sure to be an object of mercy [...]�

May God have mercy on you, Sultan Aurangzeb! He used you as a means of preserving His faith and His justice in the subcontinent, and as a result, I was able to be born into His faith. You are an example for all leaders to come, an inspiration for all those who believe in Him and a reminder for us all of the responsibilities we must discharge as believers in Him. May God forgive you and gift you with the companionship of your beloved Prophet (sall Allahu ?alayhi wa sallam) in the hereafter.

Originally, the grave of Sultan Aurangzeb only consisted of a wooden slab with an inscription in Farsi which said, �No marble sheets should shield me from the sky as I lie there one with the earth.� But it was later embellished and renovated with marble by the Nizam of Hyderabad.

Notes:

[1] Nadwi, A. Saviours of the Islamic Spirit. India: Academy of Islamic Research.

[2] Early, A. The Mughal Throne: The Saga of India�s Great Emperors. London: Phoenix, 2004

[3] Eaton, R. Temple Desecration and Indo-Muslim States. Oxford: Journal of Islamic studies, 11:3 (2000) pp. 283 � 319.

[4] Siddiqui, H. Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb: Bad Ruler or Bad History? (http://www.albalagh.net/general/0093.shtml)

[5] Sarkar, J. A life of Aurangzib and Historical notes: An English translation of Ahkam-i- Alamgiri ascribed to Hamid-ud-din Khan Bahadur. Calcutta: Sarkar and Sons, 1925. (https://archive.org/stream/AnecdotesOfAurangzeb/AnecdotesOfAurangzib_djvu.txt)

[6] Currim, M., Mitchell, G. Dargahs � Abodes of the Saints. Mumbai: Marg Publications, 2004.

Al-Azhar Fatwas on Shia Muslims

The following piece is good but not sure if it is authentic. I have conducted many dialogues between Shia and Sunni and have spoken about it, here is a new approach to the same at - http://www.worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2015/03/is-united-islam-possible-international.html

I welcome this conversation.

Mike Ghouse
# # # 

Al-Azhar�s fatwa on Shias.
https://zjeddy.wordpress.com/2014/04/15/al-azhar-fatwa-on-shias

Statements about Shias by the Chancellor of al-Azhar University, Dr. Ahmad al-Tayyib. In an interview to Egyptian Al Neel Channel, Dr. Ahmad al-Tayyib, the Chancellor of Al-Azhar University (Egypt)

Q. In your opinion, isn�t there any problem in Shia Beliefs?.
A. Never, 50 years ago Shaikh Mahmood Shaltoot, the then Chancellor of Al Azhar, had issued a fatwa that Shia School is the fifth Islamic School and as like as the other schools.

Q. Our children are embracing Shia Islam, what should we do?
A. Let them convert and to embrace Shia School. If someone leaves Maliki or Hanafi Sect, do we criticize him? These children are just leaving fourth school and join the fifth.

Q. The Shias are becoming relatives with us and they are getting married with our children!
A. What is wrong with this, marriage between religions is allowed.

Q. It is said that the Shias have a different Quran!
A. These are the myths and superstitions of the elderly women. Shia Quran has no any difference with ours, and even the script of their Quran is like our alphabet.

Q. 23 clerics of a country (Saudi Arabia) issued a fatwa that the Shia are infidels, heretics (Kafirs)!!
A. Al-Azhar is the only authority to issue fatwa for Muslims; therefore the above said fatwa is invalid and unreliable.

Q. So what does the difference � being raised between the Shia and the Sunni � mean?
A. These differences are the part of the policies of foreign powers who seek conflict between The Shia and the Sunni.

Q. I have a very serious question that �the Shia do not accept Abu Bakr and Umar, how you can say they are Muslims?�

A. Yes, they do not accept them. But is the belief in Abu Bakr and Umar a part of the principles of Islam? The story of Abu Bakr and Umar is historic and history has nothing to do with fundamentals of the beliefs.

Q. (The reporter surprised by the response, asks) Shia has a fundamental problem and that is �they say that their Imam the time (???? ?????) is still alive after 1,000 years!�

A. He may be alive, why is it not possible? But there is no reason that we � as Sunni � should believe just like them.

Q. (Referring to Imam Mohammad Taqi al-Jawad AS, (the 9th Imam of Shias) the reporter asked) The Shias believe that one of their Imams was just eight-year old when he became Imam; is it possible that an eight-year-old child be the Imam?

A. If an infant in a cradle can be a prophet (Issa AS), then why an eight-year-old child can not be the Imam? It is not strange. Although we may not accept this belief as we are Sunni. However, this belief does not harm their Islam, and they are Muslims.

Translated by F.H.Mahdavimy

#habibali

For ISIS, �All Roads lead to Rome�

The Islamic State caliphate has its sights set on large Christian targets, aims to �break the crosses�, both literally and metaphorically.

by Ralph H. Sidway

ISIS shows their black flag flying
over the Vatican.

The Islamic State has named many targets, including the �lands of al-Haramein� (two holy places), i.e. Saudi Arabia, and Spain. But its most significant goal seems to be Rome.  

When the Islamic State released its video in February of the beheading of 21 Coptic Christian Egyptians on the coast of Libya, they titled it, �A Message Signed with Blood to the Nation of the Cross.� After the slaughter, the speaker says, �And we will conquer Rome, by Allah�s permission��

Italian officials immediately reacted, warning �ISIS is at the door.� The Washington Post reports that, 

Our Italian allies... are responding with the correct initial steps, including placing portions of both their military and the capable Carabinieri paramilitary forces on higher alert, adding more nautical patrols between Libya and their southern islands; sharing intelligence throughout NATO and European Union/Interpol channels; and publicizing these measures to appear a more hardened target.

The Libyan coastal area which the Islamic State used for its bloody �Message� is only 109 miles from the island of Lampedusa, and just 300 miles from Sicily; from there it�s just a short jump to mainland Italy. But it may not take an actual invasion force from the Islamic State in Libya to launch a terrorist attack. The enemy may already be taking up positions inside Italy.

Islam threatens Rome once more.

Barbie Latza Nadeau of The Daily Beast reports that Italy saw �a 64 percent increase in illegal migrant arrivals by sea since last year. In all of 2014, more than 170,000 people arrived from Libya and Turkey, the highest number ever recorded.� Even worse, defense analysts warn that Italy has never been so exposed to an attack, due in large measure to heavily armed sea-based smugglers melding with those illegal migrants. Nadeau adds that �The Office of Migration in Rome says there could be as many as half a million people in camps waiting to come to Italy and the unrest will push them out faster.� 

In short, an ISIS attack on Rome is by no means far fetched, and if attempted, would be a symbolic attack on Global Christianity.

ISIS certainly understands the importance of symbolism. The Islamic State has demonstrated by the frequency and magnitude of their heinous atrocities as well as through their slick magazine �Dabiq� and their savvy social media proselytizing that they are masters of the Big Symbol. Tens of thousands of Muslims from Western nations are not leaving their relatively easy lives to join up with just any jihadist group. And they do so knowing they may be engaging in a generational struggle, an �Islamic Hundred Years War�, a concept the Islamic State embraces in its issue of �Dabiq� titled �The Failed Crusade�:

�We will conquer your Rome, break your crosses, and enslave your women� If we do not reach that time, then our children and grandchildren will reach it, and they will sell your sons as slaves at the slave market... The Islamic State will remain until its banner flies over Rome.�

Through targeting such Big Symbols, caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and the Islamic State are winning the ideological war and drawing large numbers of new recruits, because they are convincing. ISIS has the courage of its convictions, and in each new issue of �Dabiq� and each video, each Tweet, it further makes its case that the Islamic State is not just pointing to a future apocalypse, but that it is ushering in that apocalypse right now, today, and for observant Muslims that means each day brings them closer to Islam�s ultimate victory.

"It�s not just about jihad, it�s about the times we live in, in which Muslim expectation is rapidly being whipped into a distorted Islamic parousia frenzy..."

This is heady, intoxicating stuff, as Graeme Wood pointed out in his landmark article in The Atlantic. Joel Rosenberg phrased it even more directly, stating �The biggest threat now is not Radical Islam. It is �Apocalyptic Islam�.�  For more in depth theological underpinnings of both Sunni and Shia eschatological dreams, you may wish to plunge into Timothy Furnish�s Mahdi Watch archives, as he has been warning about this like a voice in the wilderness for years now. What Raymond Ibrahim does for demonstrating historical continuity in Islam�s treatment of non-Muslims over the centuries regardless of geography, epoch, language and race, Tim Furnish does in assessing the chiliastic hopes of this manic, totalitarian religion.

All these watchtower voices are crying the same alarm: It�s not just about jihad, it�s about the times we live in, in which Muslim expectation is rapidly being whipped into a distorted Islamic parousia frenzy, with anticipations of the rise of the Dajjal, the return of Isa (the Muslim Jesus), the revealing of the Mahdi, and the eventual ushering in of an Islamic paradise on earth.

Just as a prairie fire sweeps across the acres ever more rapidly, so Muslims are being swept up in this sense of living in apocalyptic times. Even the ordinary Muslim working his job or raising her children may become instilled with a sense of Divine Purpose beyond their humdrum daily grind, a Manifest Destiny for the End of the Ages, and a thrilling anticipation of the ultimate triumph of Islam over all the world, and over all the unbelievers. 

"The very demographic swaths of the Western Muslim community we had hoped were most �moderate� are proving to be every bit as susceptible to the Jihadi Apocalyptic Virus as front-line ISIS mujahideen."

The proof of this Muslim �Apocalyptic Fever� is in the demographics: the Muslims flocking from Western countries to join the Islamic State include not just testosterone-jacked young men, but also successful medical students from England, �straight-A, normal� teenage girls, and even young Muslimas with their school-age children. The very demographic swaths of the Western Muslim community we had hoped were most �moderate�  � affluent, professional, second generation children of immigrants as well as converts � are proving to be every bit as susceptible to the Jihadi Apocalyptic Virus as the front-line ISIS mujahideen. 

The Islamic world hasn�t had such a feeling since 1979 and the Islamic revolution in Iran, if even then. More likely one would have to go back to the period leading up to the Muslim defeat of Constantinople in 1453 to sense this same pent up fervor and taste of impending victory. When the Imperial City fell to its Islamic invaders, that pent up fervor exploded in an orgy of raping and pillaging which lasted for days. Islam�s capture of the Big Symbol of Eastern Christendom launched a new epoch of Muslim supremacy.

Which leads us back to Rome. 

The Eastern Christians did not think of themselves as �Byzantines�. That is a later appellation applied by historians using the older, pre-Constantinian name of the Imperial City. Rather, the Eastern Christians thought of and called themselves �Romans.� Constantinople was the capitol of the Roman Empire, eastern though it was. Even the Ottomans called their Orthodox Christian subjects the �Rom�.

The city of Rome and the city of Constantinople were always linked in Islamic thought and targeting beginning from the days of Muhammad himself, as seen in a hadith cited by Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, one of Islam�s most prominent contemporary imams: 

�The Prophet Muhammad was asked: �What city will be conquered first, Constantinople or Romiyya [i.e., Rome]?� He answered: �The city of Hirqil [the Byzantine emperor Heraclius] will be conquered first� � that is, Constantinople�.�

The aforementioned scholar of Islamic history and eschatology, Timothy Furnish, cites some of the many eschatological hadiths which serve as the fountainhead for Islamic State�s apocalyptic dynamo:

The relevant hadiths (too long to reproduce here) are explicated thusly:  

�Muslims will be at war with the Roman Christians�.the Christians of Europe and their colonies�.There will be a pause in this war due to a truce�.During this time the Muslims and Romans will fight a common enemy [presumably the �Safawis,� or Twelver Shi`is of Iran and Iraq]�.These events all lead up to the final, greatest, and bloodiest battle�al-Malhamah al-Kubra�between the Muslims and the Romans prior to the appearance of the Dajjal and the descent of al-Masih [Jesus].  This battle ends the era of the Roman Christians, as the Muslims will then advance upon Constantinople and thereafter Rome, to conquer the two cities and raise the flag of the Khilafah over them.�  

Constantinople was attacked and laid siege to by Muslim armies in 674-678, barely more than forty years after Muhammad�s death, and again in 717-718, but she successfully fought off both. Rome herself was sacked and the Vatican defiled in 846 by Muslim brigands; Sicily was conquered by the Muslims in 902, and was held for over 150 years until the Norman incursions began in 1061. Europe�s long memory recalls Italy�s struggles against Muslim forces during the first few centuries of the Islamic era.

Furnish continues his analysis of ISIS� goals:

But according to IS exegesis, they won�t stop there.   The new caliphate, either before the Mahdi comes or, perhaps, after his arrival, also will conquer Jerusalem and eventually �destroy the filthy house called the White House.�  Along the way the armies of jihad will �break your crosses and enslave your women.�  

The Islamic State�s vow to �break the crosses� is a direct quote from a primary apocalyptic hadith where Muhammad is said to have prophesied Isa�s (the Muslim Jesus) return:

Isa will �fight the people for the cause of Islam. He will break the cross, kill the swine and abolish jizya� and establish the rule of Allah throughout the world.� (Hadith from Sunan Abu Dawud, Book of Battles, 37:4310)

�Breaking the crosses� means destroying Christianity and its global influence, one city, one village, one church, and even one believer at a time if necessary. The Islamic State seeks ultimately to crush the hearts of Christians everywhere, to break the Power of the Cross in the hearts of the Followers of Jesus. 

To this end, ISIS keeps the Big Symbol, the Big Cross � Rome and the Vatican � squarely in their sights. 

If you think their recruiting has been successful thus far, imagine what a large scale Islamic State terrorist attack on Rome and the Vatican would do. 

Latinas converting to Islam for identity and structure

Latinos are one of the fastest growing groups in the Muslim religion. According to the Pew Research Center, about 6 percent of American Muslims are Latino. And a little more than half of new converts are female.

VOA�s Carolyn Presutti travelled to Miami, Florida � where two out of every three residents is Hispanic � to learn more.

Prophet�s Hadiths on Eclipses

Volume 2, Book 18, Number 153: Narrated Al-Mughira bin Shu'ba: "The sun eclipsed in the life-time of Allah's Apostle on the day when (his son) Ibrahim died. So the people said that the sun had eclipsed because of the death of Ibrahim. Allah's Apostle said, "The sun and the moon do not eclipse because of the death or life (i.e. birth) of some-one. When you see the eclipse pray and invoke Allah." Volume 2, Book 18, Number 154: Narrated 'Aisha : In the life-time of Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) the sun eclipsed, so he led the people in prayer, and stood up and performed a long Qiyam, then bowed for a long while. He stood up again and performed a long Qiyam but this time the period of standing was shorter than the first. He bowed again for a long time but shorter than the first one, then he prostrated and prolonged the prostration. He did the same in the second Raka as he did in the first and then finished the prayer; by then the sun (eclipse) had cleared. He delivered the Khutba (sermon) and after praising and glorifying Allah he said, "The sun and the moon are two signs amongst the signs of Allah; they do not eclipse on the death or life of anyone. So when you see the eclipse, remember Allah and say Takbir, pray and give Sadaqa." The Prophet then said, "O followers of Muhammad! By Allah! There is none who has more indignant than Allah when His slaves, male or female commit adultery (illegal sexual intercourse). O followers of Muhammad! By Allah! If you knew that which I know you would laugh little and weep much.

More hadith:

Mob of Muslims Violently Attack Church in Protest Against Memorial for Egyptian Martyrs

This Muslim mob has merely multiplied the glory of the 21 Holy New Coptic Martyrs of Libya, while at the same time proving the demonic core of Islam. 

At least six Coptic Christians wounded as armed mob storms church in Al-Our village, home to 13 of the martyrs executed by ISIS in Libya.

See also: All posts related to the 21 Coptic Martyrs of Libya

by Todd Daniels, ICC with ICC's Egypt Representative 03/29/2015 Washington, D.C. (International Christian Concern) � As the country prepared to mark the fortieth day since the release of a video showing the execution of 21 Christians by ISIS jihadists in Libya, the home village of 13 of the 20 Egyptian martyrs was again the focus of Islamic extremists. At least six cars from a surrounding village carrying more than twenty armed men arrived in Al-Our village as dark started to settle over the village of 5,000. These men joined joined a crowd of more than 100 locals from Al-Our and made their way to Virgin Mary Church, currently the only church for the towns nearly 2,500 Christians. �At 8 pm, a group of armed Muslim young men in six or seven cars from nearby villages stormed our village. Many Muslim fanatic young men joined those who came from the other nearby villages and attacked the church," Milad Nageh, of Al-Our told International Christian Concern (ICC). �They shot guns at the church and pelted the church with stones and blocks,� Milad said. �They smashed the sign of the church, destroying the ground of the church yard and breaking the windows of the service buildings of the church. They also burned a car that was parked in the front of the church.� It was not only those who came from the other villages, but many of the Muslims from Al-Our were involved as well. �The Muslims whose homes surrounded the church were throwing stones at the church from the roofs of their homes,� Milad said. �This attack on the church was arranged before because a truck loaded with cement blocks had unloaded all of their blocks in the front of a Muslim home nearby the church two days ago,� Milad told ICC on Saturday morning, March 28, from inside the Virgin Mary church. He and others from the church stayed awake all Friday night to help protect the church in case there was another attack. �We thought that these blocks would be used in construction of a building belonging to the owner of this home, but these blocks were prepared to attack the church,� Milad said. Calls for Protection Went Unanswered Church leaders were concerned after hearing threats that there would be protests from Muslims on Friday. Fr. Makar Issa, the priest of The Virgin Mary Church in Al-Our village told ICC, "On Thursday evening, March 26, I was informed that the next day, Friday there will be Islamic demonstrations in the village against us.� At the Mass on Friday morning, �Bishop Raphael who came from Cairo to take part in the prayer of the memorial of 40th day of our martyrs informed that some Muslims from the village and the other nearby villages will organize march in our village after their Friday noon prayer,� Milad said. �They were protesting the building of a new church and they intend to attack the Christians and the church.� Fr. Makar asked the community not deal with the demonstrators during their march in the streets of the village even if they tried to provoke, and asked the youth to remain in the church to protect it from any attack. �I called the police many times and asked them to come to guard us but they came late and after their arrival they didn't guard the church. They stopped in the entrance of the village. Even still they allowed the cars of the attackers to enter the village and attack us and the church without any intervention from them to protect us,� Fr. Makar said. "I charge the responsibility of what happened to the policemen,� Fr. Makar Issa continued, �and I accuse them accuse them of inaction, indifference and complicity." At least six Christians were wounded by the attackers, three of them suffering serious injuries. Martyrs� Families Attacked Again On Friday, March 27 the Virgin Mary Church in Al-Our held a mass to commemorate the Arbaieen, marking 40 days since the release of the video showing the beheading of the 21 Christians in Egypt. A larger service was to be held in Samalout city on Saturday, March 28. 13 of the 21 martyrs were from Al-Our village. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had declared that a church would be built in the village to commemorate them, but, as Ishak Ibrahim documents, even this had sparked a reaction of protest from some Egyptians. This overflowed on Friday, following the afternoon prayers at the mosques in the village. Demonstrators made their way through the streets chanting slogans against the church. They were chanting things like �Islamic, Islamic� and �By no means, no church will be built on this ground,� and �We will make the church on the ground,� Milad told ICC. They also made their way to the home Samuel Alham Wilson, one of the martyrs, and pelted it with stones and rocks. Bebawy Alham Wilson, the brother of the Martyr Samuel Alham Wilson, told ICC, "After the Muslim Friday noon prayers some Muslim young men attacked our home which located in the entrance of the village. During their march while I was alone in the home with the my wife, wives of my brothers, and my mother. My brothers were in the church at this time. The attackers attempted to storm my home, I hurried and locked the door and barred it. They then hurled stones at my home." After more than two hours of protesting and assaulting the Wilson home, three police cars arrived and deployed in the entrance of the village. �They set up in the front of the mosque of the village, not even going to guard the church," Milad told ICC. Then when more rioters came in the evening, the police again did almost nothing to prevent the attacks on the church, only after much of the damage had taken place did the disperse the crowd. �There is a situation of panic and fear among all of us here. We are afraid that more violent attacks will occur against us and the church after the departure of the security forces who are deployed across the village now," Malak Nageh Ishack, a resident in the village told ICC. "We gave the security forces names of 100 Muslim young men from the village who took part in attacking the church, but police men arrested only five of them and the rest of them are free,� he said. �The police asked us to stay in our homes, leaving the Muslim attackers free walking in the village streets,� Malak said, �plus we have received threats from the Muslims that they will attack us again after the security forces leave the village.� On Saturday, the diocese of Samalout held a large memorial service, presided over by Bishop Anba of Samalout and attended by many of the local leaders. The hall of the church was packed and the church yard was full, an estimated 3,000 watching the mass on screen. Absent, however, were many of the relatives of the 13 martyrs from Al-Our. �I couldn�t go to the Diocese of Samalout to attend the service for the 40th day of the Martyrs,� Beshir Stephanos Kemal, brother of the two martyrs Bishoy and Samuel, told ICC. �I had to stay to protect my home,� he said. Just 20 or 30 from Al-Our made the trip to Samalout to attend the service, mostly women and children, with the men staying behind fearing there may be more attacks. Local leaders from the Christian and Muslim communities are to hold customary �reconciliation meetings� to try to stem the tensions that sparked this latest round of violence. The Sisi government has made declarations to improve the status of Christians in Egypt, but the reality has hardly changed. For the families of the men martyred in Libya, these attacks serve as yet another reminder that it is not just ISIS abroad, but even in their home village in Egypt they face armed attackers who are hostile to them as Christians and the presence of the church. --- See also this story at PJMedia:  Muslim Mob Attacks Family of Coptic Christian Beheaded By ISIS in Libya

New Martyr Helen the Accountant (�March 15, 2013)

MYSTAGOGY , March 17, 2015

John Sanidopoulos at MYSTAGOGY blog has translated to English from the original Greek an amazing account of a young Russian woman, Helen Machankova, raised in an atheist home in Siberia, who moved to Asia Minor to find work among the Russian emigr� community there. She eventually met a man and fell in love. He was a Muslim; they married in a mosque.

Her conscience was wounded when her husband expressed how glad he was that Muslims were killing Christians in Syria, and she began to despise him for his hatred of the innocent Christians. He became violent and abused her. Helen left her husband and went to live with her friend Anna, whom she knew from the Russian Church.

Her heart was softened and warmed by the love shown her by her Russian Orthodox friends, and she was led to Christ by their kindness. Helen attended frequently the Divine Liturgy, and asked her friends to teach her how to pray, and about what happens during the Liturgy.

Helen's faith continued to deepen. She began wearing a pendant her family had given her with an icon of St Seraphim of Sarov. When she happened to encounter her husband in the town, he saw the pendant and asked her if she had changed her religion. She did not deny, but answered yes, and bravely confessed Christ. He began to curse at her, as he had considered her to be a Muslim, since they had married in the mosque.

About this time, Helen had a dream about Christ calling to her. This gave her great peace, and when her husband called her and wanted to meet with her, she agreed to do so, telling his niece, "Whatever happens, happens." Those were her last known words.

Helen's husband "slaughtered her with a knife," and told police that this was his "offering to Allah."

Do read and share the full account of Helen's Christian conversion and martyrdom, written by an Orthodox Christian monk in Greece, which is greatly edifying, while at the same time revealing consistent patterns in how Muslims deal with family who leave Islam and become Christians. The Islamic penalty for apostasy and blasphemy is death, and honor killings are deeply rooted in Muslim culture.

O Holy New Martyr Helen, pray to God for us!

Raymond Ibrahim: Christians on way to Extinction in Mideast (VIDEO)

On March 26, Raymond Ibrahim appeared on NewsMax TV�s �America�s Forum with JD Hayworth� via Skype. The topic of discussion was the very real threat of Christian extinction in the Middle East.

Note: There are two segments sequenced together in this nine-minute video. Be sure to watch past the brief "break" at the midpoint.

The video follows:

Surah Taubah - chapter 9 verses 20-28 by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

www.WorldMuslimcongress.com | www.QuraanToday.com 

The clarity of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad's tafseer is incredible. Those of you who may not know the Maulana � he was born and raised in Madinah and moved back to India - his ancestral land. He was a nationalist leader for all of Indians, the Hindu Majority and all minorities, and was the first education minister of independent India and laid the foundation for the educational institutions like IIT�s that rival MIT�s.  I believe Muhammad Yunus, a member and a Muslim scholar listed in the emails is a member of IIT.

Maulana was a pluralist, and an inclusivist, as is Islam  � the phrases like Rabbul Aalameen, Rahmatul Aalameen should lead us to become Mukhlooqul Aalameen. We need to consciously pull us out of the path of political Islam of self-interest and restore it to Islam for common good. It is in the same line of thinking, I believe the purpose of Islam is to build cohesive societies where no human has to live in fear of the other but God (deviation from truth). Islam is about restoring harmonious, peaceful and a well-functioning cohesive world, God had created.

Some of the statements that jumped at me are:

�It states that they rank the highest who have sacrificed everything in the path of truth and endure steadfastly the trials and tribulations that befell them on the way of truth. That is the criterion of goodness.� � and I will add to this from Sura Hujurat �the best ones among you are those who learn about each other � for knowledge leads to understanding and understanding to acceptance of another point of view.

In Hindu scriptures there is a powerful phrase �Satyamev Jayate - Truth alone triumphs� and Mahatma Gandhi popularized it, and now it is the national symbol of India... The Maulana has clearly distinguished the purpose of war was not victory or the conquest but bringing forth sustainable peace for �all�.

He pulled out the essence of the Sura � that is the truth alone triumphs and gives examples, �It therefore behooved the followers of the faith that they should have nothing to do with even their parents and brothers if they belonged to the enemy camp.� And elsewhere in Quran It lays down that you have to tell the truth even it goes against you or your interests. Indeed, there is no 5^thin Islam; truth is given the highest value.

I am presenting the following papers at Aligarh Muslim University:

1. http://www.worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2015/03/mike-ghouse-of-world-muslim-congress-to.html

2. http://www.worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2015/03/can-muslims-lead-conglomeration-of.html

3. http://www.worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2015/03/is-united-islam-possible-international.html

4. http://www.worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2015/03/does-islam-need-reform-or-we-just-need.html

Mike Ghouse, committed to cohesive societies.
www.MikeGhouse.net

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Mike Ghouse, committed to cohesive societies.
www.MikeGhouse.net

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Shared by Rafiq Lodhia

SURAH: AL-TAWBAH ( THE REPENTANCE) � CHAPTER: 9 � VERSES: 20-28

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad � The Tarjuman al-Qur�an � Year: 1968

The criterion of superiority of one over another in the sight of God is indicated in
verse 20. It states that they rank the highest who have sacrificed everything in
the path of truth and endure steadfastly the trials and tribulations that befell them
on the way of truth. That is the criterion of goodness. It is a lesson for the present
day Muslims who have developed an outlook on life and follow a way of living so
alien to the teachings of Islam. Even like the pagan Arabs of the Prophet�s time,
they prefer the traditional way as against the way of life laid down for them by
Islam. Whenever a rich man living a thoroughly un-Islamic life provides booths
(sabil) of cool drinks during the days of Muharram and arranges the celebration
of the Prophet�s Day (mawlud) on a lavish scale or pays for lightning a mosque
or a dargah on a particular day, the entire Muslim community exultingly applauds
him, and no one cares to know whether what he did was for the sake of God.
One should remember that such deeds do not constitute righteousness in the sight
of God. Goodness lies only in the purity of belief in God and sincerity in action and
steadfast endurance of trials in the way of God. That is the criterion of goodness
sponsored by the Qur�an.

It has been pointed out above that this chapter was revealed in the ninth year of
Hijra and that the earlier verses of it were publicly announced during the period
of Hajj that year. This was the time when Mecca had already been conquered
and strength of the enemies put down for ever on the field of Hunain. For the
expedition to Tabuk as many as thirty thousand Muslims, had assembled, so much
so that there remained no party in the Arabian peninsula to challenge the supremacy
of the followers of the Prophet. Still there lurked in the situation a few weaknesses.

Point A: A large number of Meccans who had opposed the Prophet but had been
pardoned by him at the time of his victorious entry into Mecca had joined the Muslim
fold. Being new converts to Islam, they could not fit into its way of life quickly. So
when war was declared on those who were still opposed to the Prophet in the
country and were giving no rest to its followers, a number of new Meccan converts
began to feel concerned about their relations who were in the enemy camps. In fact,
they could not rise above their sense of kinship with them or their tribal prejudices,
and so formed but a weak wing of the Muslim camp.

Point B: There were also in the Muslim camp quite a number of hypocrites and
timid people. They raised the cry that now that much had been gained for the
Muslims, there was no longer any need for them to engage themselves in further
warfare.

Point C: The victories which the Muslims had won on the battlefield had developed
in them a general sense of indifference to any possible danger lying ahead of them.
The majority of them thought that now that the Arab land had nearly yielded to the
call of Truth and that there was left no strength among those who had not yet
chosen to yield to the call, there was no imperative need to be on the alert. They
hardly could realize at the moment the height of power and influence that destiny
had marked them to reach. This development in the situation was clearly a source
of danger to the security of the Muslims not only at this hour but in the days to
follow as well.

The necessity therefore was felt to revive in the Muslims the spirit of sincere
attachment to their faith and bring home to them once again the high purpose for
which they were to live and work as earnestly as ever before. They were to be told
that the period of trials was not yet over and that on the other hand it was just to
begin. Of the task lying ahead of them, what was of primary importance at the
moment was the liquidating of whatever opposition that there still was to the
mission of the Prophet and to establish perfect peace and order in the land.

It is why verse 16 calls upon the Muslims to reflect over the situation and realize,
that that was not the hour when they should relax their efforts to reach their goal.
It states that the faith which they professed had yet to be tested in full. So in the
succeeding verses after drawing attention to the character that should distinguish
the Muslims, a significant observation is made in verse 23 that the sense of sincere
attachment to one�s faith and the sense of loyalty to those who were opposed to
the faith could not subsist together or felt simultaneously in one�s mind. It therefore
behooved the followers of the faith that they should have nothing to do with even
their parents and brothers if they belonged to the enemy camp.

Verse 24 is emphatic in asserting that in a conflict between faith and denial of faith,
he alone will be regarded as a man of faith or faithful whom nothing in the world,
and even one�s love for those near and dear to him, should weaken his attachment
or devotion to his faith. It is on this basis that the edifice of a civilized society can
be raised. It refers to all the essential ties which one has necessarily to respect in
life. But the principle of devotion to an ideology such as that which function for the
security and welfare of a society as a whole, demands from everyone professing
faith in his ideology that he should rise far above every other form of attachment
and let nothing detract him from serving whole-heartedly the cause of truth which
that ideology upholds.

The Qur�an also draws particular attention to the attachment one feels to one�s
worldly comfort in life and so might like one�s country not to involve itself in any
war. For instance, one might be gaining wealth by pursuing the avocation of
commerce. In a state of war, opportunities for commerce may be lessened. That
is a fear which is bound to stare in the face of every one living on commerce.
Further, in a state of war one stands the risk of losing one�s possessions. The
thought of the risk will naturally disturb one immensely. Before such as these who
are moved by considerations of this nature, the Qur�an places an abiding truth of
life and asks them seriously to reflect over it. The truth is this. When a people are
called upon by the force of circumstances to defend the cause of truth and uphold
it for the good of men, it should behoove everyone who sincerely believes in the
truth to be prepared to sacrifice everything dear to him, so that truth might prevail
and bring happiness to one and all.  The Qur�an gives the tiding to such devotees
of truth that whatever they might lose in the struggle would be repaid to them
manifold when truth shall triumph and bring peace and prosperity to one and all.
�Indeed with God lies the great reward,� says the Qur�an.

History has recorded for all times the glorious manner in which the companion of
the Prophet stood the test of devotion to their faith in God. It may be asserted
without exaggeration that there are few parallels in the annals of man to the
devoted support that they offered to the Prophet in his struggle in the cause of
truth. They sacrificed all that they had for the love of God, with the result that
they reaped in return what the pursuit of goodness always offers for the benefit
of man.

But what is our position today? Are we prepared to scrutinize our lives in the light
of this verse of the Qur�an.

Verse 26 refers to the battle of Hunain in eight year of the Hijra, when soon after
the conquest of Mecca, the tribes of Hawazin and Thaqif in co-operation with the
tribes of Bani Nadir and Bani Hilal attacked the Muslims. The Prophet issued forth
from Mecca into the valley of Hunain. In this engagement, the Muslims were thrice
in number. Naturally, therefore, they felt confident of success. But when the hour
of trial arrived, their superiority in numbers could not avail. It was only a handful
of staunch adherents of the Prophet, who, inspired by the example of their leader,
saved the situation and won the victory for the Muslims.

The Muslim force had to proceed through a narrow pass. The enemy force lay in
ambush awaiting the Muslims to enter this pass. They knew that among the Muslims
nearly as many as two thousand were new converts from Mecca. A good many of
these were allies of the enemy. The moment the Muslims moved into the narrow
defile, the enemy force showered arrows over them from their bows. It was a
sudden attack. A large section of the Muslim army took to their heels in a state of
alarm. The situation seemed clearly to go against the Muslims. It was at this juncture
that the Prophet ask, �Abbas, his uncle, to cry out to his old comrades of Samra who
had sworn allegiance to him at the time of the treaty of Hudaibiya to steady themselves.
The cry inspired a new courage in the hearts of the staunch among them who forthwith
returned to the Prophet and gave so stiff a fight to the enemy that they had to suffer
a defeat at the hands of the Muslims.

This incident was a great eye-opener for the followers of the Faith. It brought home
to them that mere numbers do not bring victory. The strength of numbers does
contribute to success in warfare. But success does not always depend upon numbers.
It is the strength of will and the determination not to yield which ultimately count and
help even a small band of determined fighters to rout a force many times strong in
numbers. The Qur�an addressing the Muslims points out that there were occasions in
the past when though they were few in numbers they had achieved victory over the
enemy. But that now at this hour in Hunain when they prided themselves over the
largeness of their numbers, mere numbers did not avail. That was a matter for them
to reflect over.

In verse 28 the Quran reverts to the order issued in an earlier verse of this chapter
prohibiting the polytheists to enter the Ka�ba any further. That House of Prayer had
been raised by the Prophet Abraham and his son Ismail for the worship of God, the
One, and was meant to serve as a center of spiritual activity for those who believed
in the unity of God.

In this verse the reference to the uncleanliness of the polytheists is not to their
physical condition but to the uncleanliness of their hearts. Islam does not regard the
person or the body of anyone as unclean. Every man as man stands on the same
footing as every other human being. It is why it has prohibited untouchability and
does not single out any section of humanity as untouchable. In fact, it is clear from
the recorded history of the Prophet that the Prophet maintained social relationships
with not only the People of the Book, the Jews, but with the polytheists of his time.
He used to dine with them and accept their invitations and also offer invitations to
them. History has recorded that he at times had allowed them to stay in his own
mosque at Madina.

The verse under reference has a limited application. It applies to the seat of Ka�ba
along and not to any other Muslim place of worship. In fact, after the issuing of
this order, the Prophet had allowed the Christians of Yemen, and the polytheists
from Ta�if to stay in his mosque.

Surah: 20 � They who have believed in God and abandoned their homes for the
sake of God and striven with their possessions and their persons in the way of
God, shall rank high in the estimation of God. These are they who shall attain
success (in life).

Surah: 21 � Tidings of mercy doth their Lord send them and of His good pleasure
and also of gardens in which lasting joy shall be theirs.

Surah: 22 � Therein shall they abide for ever. Surely (for such people) there is a
great reward from their Lord.

Surah: 23 � O Muslims! Do not take your fathers or brothers for friends if they
prefer unbelief to belief; and whoso of you shall take them for friends they shall
be regarded as those who have been unjust to themselves.

Surah: 24 � Say (to the Muslims, O Prophet!): If your fathers and your sons and
your brothers and your wives, and your kith and kin and the wealth that you have
acquired and the merchandise which ye fear may not have a proper sale, and the
dwellings of which you are very don, be dearer to you than God and His Apostle and
striving in the way of God, then, wait until God disclose what He wills to do. And it is
not in the manner of God to guide the impious.

Surah: 25 � (O Muslims!) This is a fact that God had helped you on many a previous
occasion (when you were few in number) and on the day of Hunain, when despite
the strength over which you had exulted availed you not, and the earth with all its
vastness had straitened on your and you to turn back in fight.

Surah: 26 � It was then, God infused into the Prophet and those faithful (to him)
the spirit of steadiness and self-assurance and succoured them with unseen hosts
and defeated the unbelievers, and that is what the unbelievers deserved.

Surah: 27 � Yet after this, God will turn in mercy towards whomsoever He pleaseth;
for indeed God is Forgiving, Merciful.

Surah: 28 � O ye Muslims! Surely those who ascribe partners to God are an unclean
lot. Let them not after this year approach the Holy Place of Prayer, and if (due to
lack of opportunity to profit by trading with them at the time of Hajj) you apprehend
poverty, (then, do not lose heart for), God, if He please, will soon give you riches
out of His abundance. Verily, God knows (your needs) and He will in His Wisdom
compensate you for your loss.