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UK van terror attack : Man charged with 'terrorism' over van attack on Muslims

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UK police say suspect, 47, is being ‘held for terrorism offences’ after attack targeting Muslim worshipers in London.

 

A man prays in front of tributes left near the Finsbury Park area where a van was driven at Muslims [Marko Djurica/Reuters]

A 47-year-old man has been charged with “terrorism offences” following an attack with a van on Muslims in north London, UK police have said.

The driver slammed the vehicle into worshippers shortly after midnight on Monday as they left late-night prayers at the Muslim Welfare House and the nearby Finsbury Park Mosque, one of the biggest in Britain.

A man, who had earlier suffered a heart attack, died at the scene on Seven Sisters Road, but it was not immediately clear if he was killed by the attacker’s actions. Eight people were taken to hospital.

The Metropolitan police said the driver was initially arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, but he was later charged with the “commission, preparation or instigation of terrorism including murder and attempted murder”.

“At this stage in the investigation, it is believed that the suspect acted alone but we are, of course, investigating all the circumstances leading up to the attack,” the force said in a statement.

Ramadan.

‘Kill many Muslims’

The use of a vehicle to mow down pedestrians drew parallels with a deadly attack on London Bridge earlier this month.

In that incident, three men drove a van into pedestrians before embarking on a stabbing spree, in an attack claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.

In March, London was hit with another ISIL-claimed car and knife attack, that one near the British Parliament in Westminster.

This time the attacker deliberately targeted Muslims, police said.

“More victims of a vehicle that leaves the road aimed as a weapon to kill and maim. But this time, the driver didn’t get away, he didn’t get shot, nor did he have any apparent intent to kill himself,” Al Jazeera’s Andrew Simmons, reporting from Finsbury Park, said.

The driver was grabbed at the scene by some of the Muslim worshippers and pinned down until police arrived, while others did what they could to help the wounded.

After being seized, the suspect said he had wanted to kill “many Muslim people,” one witness told journalists.

“Over the past weeks and months, Muslims have endured many incidents of Islamophobia and this is the most violent manifestation to date,” said Harun Khan, head of the Muslim Council of Britain, an umbrella body.

Mohammed Kozbar, chairman of the Finsbury Park Mosque, described the attack as “cowardly”.

“Our community is in shock,” he said, urging people attending prayers to remain vigilant.

May, second right, visited the Finsbury Park Mosque on Monday [Stefan Rousseau/Reuters]

‘Not an isolated incident’

UK Prime Minister Theresa Maycondemned Monday’s attack as “sickening”, saying Britain’s determination to fight “terrorism, extremism and hatred … must be the same, whoever is responsible”.

“This was an attack on Muslims near their place of worship,” said May who later visited the mosque.

Human rights lawyer Arsalan Iftikhar said it was “about time” that authorities called such attacks against Muslims “acts of terrorism”.

“For so many years, there have been coordinated attacks against Muslims, Arabs and South Asians all across the West that were never called ‘acts of terrorism’. So finally, for the first time ever, I’ve seen this double standard been lifted,” he told Al Jazeera from Washington, DC.

“It’s important to keep in mind that what we saw in London at the Finsbury Park Mosque is not an isolated incident,” he added.

 

In the days after the London Bridge attack, authorities reported a 40-percent increase in racist incidents in the capital and a five-fold increase in anti-Muslim incidents across Britain.

This month alone, a Muslim woman wearing a headscarf told police in Lancashire her car was struck by a bag of vomit. Worshippers at the Omar Faruque mosque in Cambridge found strips of ham attached to their vehicles. Several Muslim families have reported receiving letters warning, “You are no longer welcome in this country.” Scores say they have been spat on.

In the United States, two men were killed last month after intervening when a male white supremacist began shouting anti-Muslim abuse at teenagers on a train in Portland, Oregon.

According to the American-Islamic Relations Council, there has been a 57 percent rise in what it calls “anti-Muslim bias incidents” since 2015.

“It’s about high time that these acts of terrorism are called ‘terrorism’, and not only called ‘terrorism’ when Muslims are the perpetrators,” Iftikhar said.

“The majority of the population [in the West] doesn’t want to see criminal acts of mass murder committed by people who look like them to be labeled ‘acts of terrorism’ – they are very quick to label ‘acts of terrorism’ against people who are olive-skinned, with ethnic-sounding names,” he added.

“This is something that Muslim public intellectuals, thought leaders, activists and religious scholars have been talking about since the 9/11 [attacks in New York].

“The term ‘terrorism’, sadly, in our western sociopolitical zeitgeist has been coopted to only apply when brown Muslim men commit acts of mass murder, and not when right-wing, white supremacists terrorists do the same.”

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies

 

NASA's Kepler finds 10 more Earth-like planets

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Space telescope finds 10 new planets outside our solar system that could potentially have liquid water and support life 

An artist rendering shows some of the 219 new planet candidates, 10 of which are in the habitable zone of their star (NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP)

FAST FACTS

NASA telescope finds 10 planets that could support life

The new discoveries were orbiting their suns at a distance similar to Earth’s orbit around the sun

That means surface temperatures could support liquid water and, hypothetically, life

NASA has announced the discovery of 10 rocky, Earth-sized planets in our Milky Way Galaxy that could potentially have liquid water and support life.

The US space agency released on Monday a survey of 219 potential exoplanets – planets outside of our solar system – that had been detected by its Kepler space telescope between its launch in 2009 through its first four years in space.

Ten of the new discoveries were orbiting their suns at a distance similar to Earth’s orbit around the sun, the so-called habitable zone – meaning surface temperatures could support liquid water and, hypothetically, life.

That does not mean the planets have life, but some of the most basic requirements that life needs are there.

“Are we alone? Maybe Kepler today has told us indirectly, although we need confirmation, that we are probably not alone,” Kepler scientist Mario Perez said in a news conference.

NASA: Saturn’s moon could sustain life

Outside scientists agreed that this is a boost in the hope for life elsewhere.

“It implies that Earth-size planets in the habitable zone around sun-like stars are not rare,” Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb, who was not part of the work, told the Associated Press news agency in an email.

‘Ecstatic’

NASA said this was the eighth release of the survey and the most comprehensive and detailed so far. It includes 4,034 planet candidates identified by Kepler. Of those, 2,335 have been confirmed to be exoplanets.

Kepler is the first space telescope capable of finding Earth-sized planets in or near the habitable zone.

Before its launch, astronomers had hoped that the frequency of Earth-like planets would be about one percent of the stars.

The talk among scientists at a Kepler conference in California this weekend is that it is closer to 60 percent, Alan Boss, an astronomer at the Carnegie Institution, said.

Kepler is not the only way astronomers have found exoplanets and even potentially habitable ones. Between Kepler and other methods, scientists have now confirmed more than 3,600 exoplanets and found about 62 potentially habitable planets .

“This number could have been very, very small,” said Caltech astronomer Courtney Dressing. “I, for one, am ecstatic.”

Source: News agencies

Miracles and Signs of Muhammad (PBUH)

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In shaa Allah, this article will be refuting the argument put forward by Christian missionaries that Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) did not perform any miracles according to the Quran yet Jesus (Pbuh) did according to the gospels? Its a very weak baseless argument which carries no weight and In Shaa Allah shall be Refuted.

Firstly i want to ask our Christian friends to show us one verse from the Quran or Sahih Hadith where it states Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) could not perform any miracles?

Next i want to clear this misconception posed by Christians that the gospels they have mentions Jesus (Pbuh) performed miracles and did this and that etc. etc… For the records the gospels are not the word of god they are a complied sets of biography that were written by men decades after the departure of Jesus (Pbuh). They are nothing like the Torah which the Jews adore and take for grant as the word of God, which is known as the Pentateuch the 5 books apparently written by Moses (Pbuh) and has commandments which God himself gave to Moses (Pbuh) through revelation of speech.

 

Now if the gospels were written decades later as a sketchy overall picture of the life of Jesus (Pbuh) why call it the word of god? Why not call it the biography of Jesus (Pbuh) like we have the Seerah of Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh). And we know from the gospels themselves they were written by ordinary men? Now that we,ve established that the gospels was not revealed by God Almighty then the question can be reversed back to our Christian friends where did Yahweh say Jesus of the bible performed miracles? Where in the old testament does it mention that the messiah Jesus (pbuh) performed such and such miracles?

 

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Miracles found in Quran

1. Living Miracle: The Holy Qur’an
And if you are in doubt concerning that which We have revealed to Our bondman, then produce a chapter like it, and call your witnesses besides Allah if you are truthful. (2:23)
Say: If the mankind and the jinn should combine together to produce the like of this Qur’an, they could not produce the like thereof though they were the helpers one of another. (Qur’an 17:88)
Then let them produce a discourse like it, if they are truthful. (Qur’an 52:34)

2. Human Miracle: he changed people’s hearts
And when they hear what has been revealed to the (Prophetic) Messenger, you will see their eyes overflowing with tears because of their recognition of the truth. They say: Our Lord, we believe, then inscribe us as among the witnesses (of truth). (Qur’an 5:83)

3. Heavenly Miracle: Isra’ and Mi’raj
Glorified be He Who carried His bondman by night from the Sacred Mosque to the al-Aqsa Mosque whose precincts We have blessed, so that We might show him of Our signs. Surely, He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. (Qur’an 17:1)
Then he drew near, then he came closer
Till he was (distant) two bows’ length or even nearer.
Now He revealed to His bondman whatever He revealed.
The heart lied not in what he saw.
Will you then dispute with him concerning what he saw?
And indeed he saw him in another descent
By the lote-tree of the utmost boundary,
Near to which is the Garden of Abode.
When that which enshrouds did enshroud the lote-tree
The sight turned not aside nor exceed the limit..
Certainly, he saw of the greatest signs of his Lord. (Qur’an 53:8-18)

4. Historic Miracle: Hijra; escaped while surrounded
If you help him not, indeed Allah helped him when those who disbelieve drove him forth, (with him was) the second of the two; when they were both in the cave, when he said to his companion: Grieve not, surely, Allah is with us. Then Allah caused His peace of reassurance to descend upon him and supported him with forces which you did not see, and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowest, while Allah’s Word, that is the highest, and Allah is Mighty, Wise. (Qur’an 9:40)

5. The miracle of the battle of Badr: Victory against all odds
And Allah had certainly assisted you at Badr, when you were weak. So fear Allah in order that you may be thankful.
When you said to the believers: Is it not sufficient for you that Your Lord should assist you with three thousand of the angels sent down?
Yes, if you remain patient and fear Allah, and they attack you suddenly, your Lord will help you with five thousand angels marked out (for your help). (3:123-125)

6. The splitting of the moon
The Hour drew near and the moon was split (in two).
And if they see a sign, they turn away and say: (This is) perpetual magic. (54:1-2)

Mentioned first among the greatest Prophets, ‘Alayhimussalam
And when We took from the Prophets their Covenant, and from you (O beloved Prophet) and from Nuh and Ibrahim and Musa and Isa son of Maryam, and We took from them a firm covenant. (33:7)
Surely, We have revealed (the revelation) to you (O beloved Prophet) as We revealed to Nuh, and the Prophets after him, and We revealed to Ibrahim and Ismail and Is’haq and Ya’qub and the tribes, and ‘Isa and Ayyub and Yunus and Harun and Sulayman, and We gave Dawud the Psalms. (4:163)

7. He is Burhan (Clear Proof)
O mankind! Surely, there has come to you a clear proof from your Lord and We have sent to you a clear light. (4:175)

Sahih Bukhari Volume 2, Book 13, Number 55:

Narrated Anas bin Malik:
Once in the lifetime of the Prophet (p.b.u.h) the people were afflicted with drought (famine). While the Prophet was delivering the Khutba on a Friday, a Bedouin stood up and said, “O, Allah’s Apostle! Our possessions are being destroyed and the children are hungry; Please invoke Allah (for rain)”. So the Prophet raised his hands. At that time there was not a trace of cloud in the sky. By Him in Whose Hands my soul is as soon as he lowered his hands, clouds gathered like mountains, and before he got down from the pulpit, I saw the rain falling on the beard of the Prophet. It rained that day, the next day, the third day, the fourth day till the next Friday. The same Bedouin or another man stood up and said, “O Allah’s Apostle! The houses have collapsed, our possessions and livestock have been drowned; Please invoke Allah (to protect us)”. So the Prophet I raised both his hands and said, “O Allah! Round about us and not on us”. So, in whatever direction he pointed with his hands, the clouds dispersed and cleared away, and Medina’s (sky) became clear as a hole in between the clouds. The valley of Qanat remained flooded, for one month, none came from outside but talked about the abundant rain.

From ‘Ibn Kathirs The Life of the Prophet Muhammad, Al-sira Al-Nabawiyya, volume 2’ :

HOW THE PROPHET (SAAS) REPLACED QATADA’S EYE:

Al-Bayhaqi stated, in the Dalail (The Signs), “Abu Sad al-Malini informed us quoting Abu Ahmed b. Adi, quoting Abu Yala, quoting Yahya al-Himmant, quoting Abd al-Aziz b. Sulayman b. al-Ghasil, from Asim b. Umarb. Qatada, from his father, from his grandfather Qatada b. al-Numan, that his eye was wounded at Badr and that its pupil came down on his cheekbone. They were about to slice it off, but asked the Messenger of God (SAAS) who said they should not do this. He then said a prayer for him, covering his cheek with his palm. And later you could not tell which of his eyes had been struck!”

According to one account, this became the better eye.

An account came down to us from the Commander of the Believers, Umar b. Abd al- Aziz that when he was told this account by Asim b. Umar b. Qatada, he also recited:

“I am the son of him on whose cheek his eye descended,
which was replaced so well by the hand of the Chosen-One.”

Upon hearing this, Umar b. Abd al-Aziz, God bless him, quoted very appropriately the verse of Umayya b. Abd al-Salt of Ibn Dhu Yazin,

“These fine qualities are not like two bowls with milk
merely whitening the water that soon becomes urine.” (Pg 298)

Tree that cried

Volume 4, Book 56, Number 784 :
Narrated by Jabir bin ‘Abdullah
The Prophet used to stand by a tree or a date-palm on Friday. Then an Ansari woman or man said. “O Allah’s Apostle! Shall we make a pulpit for you?” He replied, “If you wish.” So they made a pulpit for him and when it was Friday, he proceeded towards the pulpit (for delivering the sermon). The date-palm cried like a child! The Prophet descended (the pulpit) and embraced it while it continued moaning like a child being quietened. The Prophet said, “It was crying for (missing) what it used to hear of religious knowledge given near to it.”

IMAM AL BAIHAQI TELLS US OVER 1000 MIRACLES OF PROPHET MUHAMMED PBUH HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED, PLEASE REFER TO THE BOOK (DALA ‘IL AL -NUBUWWA ) 12 VOLUME BOOK. HAFIZ IBN HAJAR QUOTES IMAN AN NAWWAWI THAT THERE ARE AUTHENTICALLY NARRATED OVER 1200 MIRACLES OF PROPHET MUHAMMED PBUH

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Let’s analyze the New Testament and did Jesus of the bible perform any miracles which have been witnessed by non believers

Did you see that sign? The Jews didn’t !!

Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
(John 21:25)

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. (John 20:30)

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From the above passages it seems crystal clear that Jesus performed many miracles infact john goes as far as saying “that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” To be honest that’s a great exaggeration made by john I mean if Jesus performed miracles from the age of 30 as the bible states how many could be possible do in 3 years of his ministry? Are u saying it did a Miracle every second even if he did we can easy calculate how many were done and document them on paper that’s not exactly going to fill the whole world that’s without doubt, but that’s not my discussion here I want to know if Jesus performed all those miracles why were the Jews demanding to see a sign from Jesus? They kept on asking him for a sign yet Jesus refused to show them? It’s ok for the disciples to see them, yet the Jews rabbis Pharisees learned men’s who followed him day and night didn’t see a single sign (miracle) how come?

One may say even if Jesus did show them they won’t believe? But isn’t that what they were asking to see a sign unless you show them how could they believe? This raises the question was he even able to performed a miracle if his oppositions couldn’t see it? Below are few passages to prove this

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One day the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus, demanding that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority
(Matthew 16:1)

One day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove your authority.”
(Matthew 12:38)

And He was also saying to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it turns out. “And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It will be a hot day,’ and it turns out that way. “You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time? (Luke 12:54-56)
Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him. (Luke 23:8)
As the crowd pressed in on Jesus, he said, “This evil generation keeps asking me to show them a miraculous sign…..
(Luke 11:29)

The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?” (John 2:18)

So they said to Him, “What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform? (john 6:30)

Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven
(Luke 11:16)

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The Pharisees Seek a Sign

The Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him. Sighing deeply in His spirit, He said, “Why does this generation seek for a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation. “Leaving them, He again embarked and went away to the other side. (Mark 8:11-13)

 

The above passage is clear when the Jews asked for a sign miracles Jesus said no sign will be given and went? This raises the second doubt Matthew tells us Jesus said no sign will be given other then a sign of Jonah the 3 days and 3 nights sign?

 

But my challenge is show us one evidence from any of the Gospels where the Jews witnessed Jesus resurrect as the sign he offered them? We are told his disciples witnessed him but the challenge was given to the Pharisees Jews rabbis not the disciples… Bring your evidence if you are truthful… Also what makes one laugh if Christians pretend to have got sign from Jesus saying Jesus came to them or spoke to them or touched them yet when the main head Jews of that time asked for a sign but Jesus of the Bible got nothing……

 

 

Credit: Mustafa Ahmad

 

Open Letter From Crescent Schools To The Minister Of Education

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The Honourable Minister of Education, The Federal Ministry of Education, Federal Secretariat Complex, Shehu Shagari Way, Central Area, P.M.B. 146, Garki, Abuja. Dear Sir, OUR COMPLAINT AND OBSERVATIONS ON THE IMMORAL CONTENTS IN OUR CURRICULA We, the Parent-Teacher Association of Crescent College, Victoria Island, Lagos, are constrained to bring to your notice that we have observed that it has become the tradition of the National Examinations Council (NECO) to recommend junior secondary literature textbooks that fall short of moral standards that our nation’s educational system should be promoting. More specifically, the books are nothing but a means of glamorising acts of indecency such as rape, violence, kidnapping, girl defilement and sexualisation of knowledge. The books expose the vulnerable and unsuspecting minds of 10-12 year olds to amorous and deviant practices that can in turn breed rapists, cultists, homosexuals and kidnappers in youngsters. The prevalence of cases of rape among secondary students in recent times cannot be unconnected with the urge to experiment with the experience they have from such books. For example, The Precious Child, by Queen O. Okweshine, gave a vivid description of a young lady’s body as follows: If only I can find a sweet 16 to cool me down. But these eaglets with their fronts and backs fully set. Waaoo, those tender breasts that gyrate in provocating rhythm which seem to say (pushes his chest forward) ‘I swear to God.’ (page 56) In the same vein, another book, ‘The Tears of a Bride’ authored by Oyekunle Oyedeji, an accountant, is another reason to make a responsive and responsible parent feel concerned about the kind of adults schooling is grooming their children to be. The story is centred on two characters, Ajibike and Akofe, who are passionately in love, with Araba, the staff bearer, not allowing them to be.

The author throws caution and modesty to the dogs as reflected in the following excerpts: 1. Lights open on Akofe and Ajibike lying criss-cross on the ground with Ajibike’s head on Akofe’s chest and his arms wrapped around her. Akofe’s eyes are closed as he savours the splendour of the moment. His index finger runs through her body, drawing imaginary lines with its tip. Ajibike curiously raises her head from his chest to look into his face, only to discover a wide smile is playing therein. (page 10) 2. Tell them also that the breast of a woman in a man’s mouth tastes better than the best of palm wine. (page 86) 3. Araba comes out of his house bare to the waist and readjusts his wrapper. Romoke cries weakly as she comes out from the house holding her wrapper to her chest to prevent it from falling off her body. Araba has just defiled her. (page 91) Furthermore, the tradition of literary immorality has recently graduated to the level of Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) as observable from the blameable content of its recommended Use of English text for the 2017 UTME, In Dependence. The book is succinctly described by the author, thus: It is the story of two people struggling to find themselves and each other – a story of passion and idealism, courage and betrayal, and the universal desire to fall madly, deep, in love. Nothing short of this enamoured description of love is depicted by the storyline. In fact, our students who sat the current UTME found it morally distasteful, to say the least.

OUR REQUESTS  In view of the negative effects of books like these on the morals of our children and the family system, the foundation of our society, we, therefore, request as follows: 1. There should be objective content analysis of books meant for learners’ consumption, before they are certified fit for school use by the appropriate organ of the ministry. 2. We request that such books (even as they affect other subjects) are withdrawn from use immediately considering the extent of their incalculable potential damage to the youths now and in future. 3. To forestall a recurrence, we demand that the process that led to the adoption of the books is investigated and whosoever is found culpable is sanctioned appropriately. 4. We implore the Ministry of Education to do everything possible within its powers to put a stop to the use of such books immediately. 5. We implore the Ministry to recommend, henceforth, books that teach values such as honesty, integrity, decency, hard work and selflessness, which seek to promote humanity in our youngsters, in the interest of our nation. In conclusion, we are hopeful that our concerns on the textbooks and some perverted aspects of the curricula would be given a listening ear. As a parent and a role model, we eagerly look forward to your urgent decision and action in addressing these worries. Thank you in anticipation of your favourable response.

 

Yours faithfully, Mrs. Fatima Mahmud-Oyekan

 

Head of Crescent Schools Alhaji Aliyu Gudaji Chairman, Parents’-Teachers Association (PTA)

The Media and Misleading headlines

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If we can use any word more suitable than “bias” for the media, we would.

 

The media is bias when it comes to Muslims. Check below for differences in reports when Muslims are the victims or culprits and when non-Muslims are the victims or culprits.

 

When a Muslim is a victim, he becomes a worshipper, a man…

 

When a Muslim is the culprit, he becomes Islamic terrorist, Jihadist etc

 

 

White non-Muslim culprits are labeled mentally ill, gunmen or hate crime/speech

 

 

 

Racist ripped veil off Muslim woman’s head and yelled ‘live by our f***ing rules

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Racist ripped veil off Muslim woman's head and yelled 'live by our f***ing rules'
Peter Scotter targeted the woman at a shopping centre in Sunderland last July (Picture: North News & Pictures)

A racist who ripped a veil from a Muslim woman’s face and told her ‘Our Britain, you live by our fucking rules’ will be sentenced next week.

Peter Scotter, who targeted the woman at a shopping centre in Sunderland last July, will learn his fate next Friday.

The assault was carried out in front of the victim’s terrified nine-year-old son.

The 56-year-old arrived at Newcastle Crown Court this morning and confronted a photographer on his way in.

He asked ‘What are you taking pictures of me for?’ before telling him to ‘fuck off’. 

Racist ripped veil off Muslim woman's head and yelled 'live by our f***ing rules'
He tore off her niqab veil and the force he used almost threw her to the ground (Picture: North News Pictures) 
Racist ripped veil off Muslim woman's head and yelled 'live by our f***ing rules'
He shouted: ‘Take that f***** off you stupid f***** Muslim’ during the attack, along with other racist slurs (Picture: North News & Pictures)

The defendant had approached the woman, who was waiting for her husband outside a store in Sunderland’s Bridges shopping centre.

He tore off her niqab veil and the force he used almost threw her to the ground.

The court heard in February how Scotter shouted: ‘Take that fucker off you stupid fucking Muslim’ during the attack, along with other racist slurs.

 

As he walked away he was heard saying: ‘Our Britain, you live by our fucking rules.’

 

Racist ripped veil off Muslim woman's head and yelled 'live by our f***ing rules'

He will be sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court next week
Irish woman’s shocking racist rant against Indian passenger

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The defendant, who suffers from mouth cancer, pleaded guilty to racially aggravated assault.

He also admitted a charge of racially aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress. Scotter was due to be sentenced today, but the case has been repeatedly adjourned due to his cancer diagnosis.

He has 66 previous convictions for 157 offences, including actual bodily harm, breaching a Football Banning Order and racially aggravated criminal damage.

The attack occurred when reports of racial abuse were on the rise following Britain’s vote to leave the EU.

Source :metro.co.uk

Crucifixion or Crucifiction?!!!

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The gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark and Luke contradict each other’s records of the crucifixion, even on the parts that consider to be the most important. Jesus died at different times of the day in the gospels, spoke to different people, gave different sets of final words and confusingly different accounts of the circumstances surrounding the death of Jesus.

For instance,In Mark’s sombre account Jesus is silent and mocked by all around him, and cries out in despair at the end. But in Luke and John Jesus is talkative, gives advice, and is surrounded by followers even while on the cross. Despite the massive impact they would have had on entire communities, the gospel writers also record different supernatural events occurring upon Jesus’ death too – Matthew 27:51-53 describes Earthquakes and the rising of the dead – things which no-one else at all noticed. Each gospel writer states their version as fact even though it is clear that some of them simply didn’t know the truth.

The most interesting thing about the gospels of the Bible is that none of the authors was an eye-witness to any event of Jesus or perhaps met him while he was on this earth. None are eye-witness accounts of Jesus’ life and they are all written in Greek, not in the native tongues of anyone who met and followed Jesus. Many of the stories in the Gospels are copied from Greek god-man legends, especially those of Dionysus and Osiris. Although we now know them by the names of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, they are all originally anonymous (Ehrman (2011) p225)

 

WHY DO WE HAVE 4 GOSPELS?

In the first century, there were various gospels written by various disciples or rather followers of Jesus. Everyone had his story to tell.there were over 200 Christian gospels in circulation, all of them containing wildly varied stories and theologies. Helen Ellerbe (1995) p16 cites Lloyd M. Graham, Deceptions and Myths of the Bible (New York: Citadel Press, 1975) 445, stating that this number was counted by Theodoret of Cyrrhus (393-~458CE). As the Church became organized (basically the 3rd and 4th century AD) there was much worry that no-one truly knew what Jesus had said or done, so they ratified just four Gospels: They picked the number four because “there were four winds, four points of the compass, four corners of the temple“, mirroring the arguments of Irenaeus in the 2nd century – “just as the gospel of Christ has been spread by the four winds of heaven over the four corners of the earth, so there must be four and only four Gospels(Ehrman (2011) p226 cites Irenaeus Against Heresies 3.7.11). The four gospels agreed upon are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

  1. WHO CARRIED THE CROSS TO GOLGOTHA

Many Muslim clerics have asked our christian friends this question and for more than 1000years, we are yet to get a suitable response from them as whatever they say, would contradict what was penned in their canonized Bible.

In Mark 15:20-21 the Roman soldiers grabbed Simon of Cyrene and compelled him carry the cross instead. Matthew and Luke, both largely copies of Mark, also make it clear that this happened right at the start of the journey as they begin to lead him to Golgotha (Matthew 27:31-32 and Luke 23:26). But John 19:17 has Jesus carry his own cross to their destination, in accordance with John’s consistent view of Jesus as confident, strong and heroic. DOES THIS CONTRADICTORY STORY NOT CALL FOR A REVISION?

After Simon of Cyrene carries the cross, some stories have him go on to be crucified as he becomes mistaken for Jesus. This was recorded in the Second Treatise of the Great Seth, a gnostic text, a 3rd century copy of which was found among the Nag Hammadi scrolls.

 

2. WHAT WAS THE INSCRIPTION ON THE CROSS

1 Corinthians 15:6 talks about 500people witnessing the ascession of Jesus. But have we taken our time to ask our christian brothers how many witnesses were at the crucifixion? This is actually a rhetoric question as you would see conflicting responses as all his disciples left and forsook him… Mark 14:50.Looking at the next verse, it was recorded that a young man followed him but he was also caught and he fled.

So who wrote the stories of the court trial, crucifixion and resurrection if none of his followers were there?

You would be surprised also seeing this.

  • Mark 15:26: “The King of the Jews”.
  • Matthew 27:37: “This is Jesus the King of the Jews”.
  • Luke 23:38: “This is the King of the Jews”, written once in Latin, Greek and Hebrew.
  • John 19:19: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” which was inscribed by Pilate himself (quite a thing for the other gospels to fail to mention!).

What was actually inscribed by Pontius Pilate on the wooden cross and what was the reason for doing this?

 

3. WHEN WAS JESUS CRUCIFIED?

This is one of the questions most Christians run away from for centuries as the time of crucifixion had conflicting reports in the gospels. This is so because, no one was there and whatever recorded were gotten from uncertain reports.

Should we not even ponder why the whole crucifixion story was recorded in Greek and not the original language of the disciples. Who wrote these reports for them?

According to the Synoptics, it was the day after Passover, but for John it was the Passover, since he understands Jesus as the Passover Lamb who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29, 19:36, referring to Exod. 12:46).

Incredible Shrinking Son of Man: How Reliable Is the Gospel Tradition?” by Robert M. Price (2003)

Mark 15:22-25 has the time of the crucifixion commence at “the third hour” (which means 9am)1. He was strung up on the cross by at least “the sixth hour”, whereupon a three-hour period of darkness began (Mark 15:32-33).

But John 19:13-14 has Jesus still infront of Pilate at “the sixth hour” – noon, having not yet even set out on the journey to Golgotha.

It is impossible to imagine John’s eyewitnesses mis-remembering by so many hours, and impossible to imagine that the 3-hour period of darkness over the whole land (or whole world?) failed to make an impression to the extent that they weren’t sure when it happened. Scribes all over the land would have noted this, just as they noted other less pervasive and much shorter solar eclipses. It seems that so many things are wrong with the timelines that it stands to reason that some, or all, of the gospel writers did not actually know when Jesus was crucified.

 

4. WHO WAS AT GOLGOTHA AT THE FOOT OF JESUS’ CROSS

Flavius Josephus is a historian of the 1st century who was born a few years after the ascension of Jesus. He had some books about his journeys in battles and also on crucifixion. He is the famous author of the book Antiquities of the Jews, written around 93–94 AD. Josephus was witness to many crucifixion executions and in-fact he wrote on 2 accounts people surviving the crucifixion after days on the cross. He wrote about the different styles of crucifixion, the severe pains and torture the prisoners go through in their stark naked state. Should we not be wondering why most Christians put a shroud across the genitals of JESUS when he is infact supposed to be stark naked.

However, my point of using Josephus as a reference is because in his book, he reported about crucifixion in Jerusalem been conducted outside the city gate with only the soldiers present as it was not a custom to allow family or friends and especially women to witness the crucifixion. Golgotha is a hilly-side outside the city walls and can be seen from the streets of Jerusalem. Only travelers entering Jerusalem are to see the crosses at the road side which is to send a warning to them to deter from any treasonable and criminal offences in Jerusalem which is subjected to the Roman laws.

Mark 15:40, Matthew 27:55 and Luke 23:49 all describe several women who watch from afar. Nearby centurions interact with Jesus. But John’s flamboyant gospel has Jesus surrounded by a talkative crowd of followers which includes Jesus’ mum (John 19:25-26) even though this was not Roman custom.

Two other criminals: All four gospels record that alongside Jesus there were two criminals (Matthew 27:38, Mark 15:27-28,32, Luke 23:33, John 19:18). In two of the gospels the two thieves both mocked Jesus (Matthew 27:38-44 and Mark 15:27-32). In both of those gospels, the onlookers also taunted Jesus.

But Luke only has one criminal insult Jesus (the one on the left), and the other becomes a follower, and speaks not in the insulting and vulgar manner reported in the other gospels, but instead he speaks in a theologically accurate, respectful and elegant manner. The words of Luke‘s right-hand criminal are clearly not spoken by the two criminals reported in the other two synoptic gospels: someone (or two people) are making up conversations.

 

5. WHAT DID JESUS DRINK BEFORE DYING?

Lately, i became fascinated by watching videos on YouTube which are documentaries on death sentences of inmates in American prisons. It is fascinating to know that the whole execution follows a protocol of timely events about 7 days prior to the time the prisoner is pronounced dead. He is first transported to a holding unit, given a chance to talk to a family or relative by phone or physically depending on the state in America and also he is given a last wish… HIS LAST MEAL. All these are recorded. In fact the time he is escorted to the execution chambers are all recorded. His last few words are recorded and in fact the journalists, families, relatives and people at the waiting or viewing room are all documented.

But what happened to Jesus?

Did I hear someone just say that we are in a civilized world and recording of such event during the time of Jesus couldn’t be available because of the archaic civilization then. But the truth here is why would we have so many differing reports on just a single event and no 2 reports confirm what the other said.

  • Upon arrival at Golgotha Mark 15:22-23 had the Romans give Jesus a drink of “wine mingled with myrrh” but he didn’t accept it, presumably out of honour.
  • In Matthew 27:33-34 they are actually written to have given Jesus a horrible drink of vinegar and gall “when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink“. Luke 23:33,36 also says they offered Jesus vinegar to drink and specifically says it was to mock him, but doesn’t mention if Jesus drank it or not.
  • John 19:28-30 has it completely different. Jesus is yattering away, giving advice, apparently completely comfortable with what is going on. He tells the audience that he is thirsty but the only thing to hand is some vinegar. His beloved audience apply it to his mouth with a sponge, and Jesus receives it.

 

But wait a minute, Let us assume that the drink was either wine or vinegar, have we really done any research why he was given a drink by the soldiers?

I stumbled on some research done by some historians and medical practitioners who have researched on this hoax story of crucifixion.It would be amazing to share their works.

A sour wine vinegar is mentioned in the OT as a refreshing drink (Numbers 6:13; Ruth 2:14), and in Greek and Roman literature as well it is a common beverage appreciated by laborers and soldiers because it relieved thirst more effectively than water and was inexpensive . . . . There are no examples of its use as a hostile gesture. The thought, then, is not of a corrosive vinegar offered as a cruel jest, but of a sour wine of the people. While the words “let us see if Elijah will come” express a doubtful expectation, the offer of the sip of wine was intended to keep Jesus conscious for as long as possible” (Ibid., 573–574).

“Some high Biblical commentators maintain that the gall and vinegar, or myrrhed wine, offered to our Saviour immediately before his crucifixion, was in all probability a preparation of hemp, and even speak of its earlier use”

The Boston Medical and Surgical Journal (1860).

In 1965 Prof. High Schonefield, in his groundbreaking book The Passover Plot, made the controversial suggestions that the Crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus was a planned hoax, done by Jesus and his followers with the aid of a potion that put him in a deathlike coma.

Deeply influenced by Schonfield’s research, the authors of the sensational international best-seller, The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, expanded more fully on this theme in the early 1980s.

In the Fourth Gospel Jesus, hanging on the cross, declares that he thirsts. In reply to this complaint he is proffered a sponge allegedly soaked in vinegar – an incident that also occurs in the other Gospels. This sponge is generally interpreted as another act of sadistic derision. But was it really? Vinegar – or soured wine – is a temporary stimulant, with effects not unlike smelling salts. It was often used at the time to resuscitate flagging slaves on galleys. For a wounded and exhausted man, a sniff or taste of vinegar would induce a restorative effect, a momentary surge of energy. And yet in Jesus’ case the effect is just the contrary. No sooner does he inhale or taste the sponge then he pronounces his final words and ‘gives up the ghost’. Such a reaction to vinegar is physiologically inexplicable. On the other hand such a reaction would be perfectly compatible with a sponge soaked not in vinegar, but in some type of soporific drug – a compound of opium and or belladonna, for instance, commonly employed in the Middle East at the time. But why proffer a soporific drug? Unless the act of doing so, along with all the other components of the Crucifixion, were elements of a complex and ingenious stratagem – a stratagem designed to produce a semblance of death when the victim, in fact, was still alive. Such a stratagem would not only have saved Jesus’ life, but also have realized the Old Testament prophecies of a Messiah. (Baigent, Leigh & Lincoln, 1982).

Among initial suggestions were things like opium, belladonna, and mandrake. Opium was widely available in this period, and could be used for such purposes. Paracelsus in the 15th century wrote of his opium based preparations ability to “wake up the dead, and indeed he proved that patients who seemed to be dead suddenly arose” (Farrar, et. al., 2006)

Before the Middle Ages, Belladonna was used as an anesthetic for surgery; As well a preparation of mandrake, which was in use during this time period, may have helped to induce a deathlike stupor needed to fool the Roman soldiers and Jewish populace. Thomas Cisteriensis (d. 1190 A.D.) wrote of the mandrake “The mandragora is a plant which effects such a deep sleep that one can cut a person and he feels not the pain. For the mandragora symbolizes striving in contemplation. Its reverie allows a person to fall into a sleep of such delicious sweetness that he no longer feels any of the cutting which his earthly enemies inflict upon him, and he no longer cares about any earthly thing. For his soul has now closed off its senses from all that is external – it lies in the benevolent sleep of the eternal.”*
*As quoted in (Ratsch 1997)

It is the moment before sundown in Jerusalem. On the hill of Golgotha three bodies are suspended on crosses. Two – the thieves – are dead. The third appears so. This is the drugged body of Jesus of Nazareth, the man who planned his own crucifixion, who contrived to be given a soporific potion to put him into a deathlike trance. Now Joseph of Arimathea, bearing clean linen and spices, approaches and recovers the still form of Jesus. All seems to be proceeding according to plan. (Schonfield 1965).

The aloes and spices brought by Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea to Jesus’s tomb to supposedly embalm their now dead leader pose a particularly curious question, as embalming was not a practice of the Jews of the time. Perhaps these lotions served some other purpose? It has been suggested that “in reality, there were efforts behind the scenes to ‘bring Jesus back to life’ in the privacy of the tomb cavern, under the direction of Joseph and Nicodemus” (Kersten 1986).

A Pot Plot Hatched…

If Christ arranged to receive such a cannabis extract on the day of the Crucifixion, the resulting cataleptic state of hibernation induced by a cannabis extract, and likely other ingredients, could easily have been mistaken for death by the Romans who stood guard over him, along with the Jewish crowd who had come out to watch another claimant to the title of “Messiah” meet their typical fate. As the powerful preparation took effect, the limbs would begin stiffening, the heartbeat slowing down to an occasional thud, the breath dropping off to a faint whisper of a still body that more and more resembled a corpse……

John 19 tells of the night of the crucifixion in detail that fits in completely with this hypothesis:

Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scriptures would be fulfilled, Jesus said “I am thirsty.” A Jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Now… the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man that was crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. (John19:33)

Death, in the case of a crucifixion, came through suffocation; as the arms and legs gave out from exhaustion and stress, the lung cavity contracted, and in some cases this took days. By lessening these supports considerably, the breaking of the legs hastened this process. John has it that because Jesus was already dead, the soldiers do not break his legs, but instead pierce Christ’s side with a spear. There is even a witness to this, one unnamed bystander: “The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe” (John 19:35). (The man doth protest too much!) Schonfield suggested that the story of the spear thrust into Jesus’ side “may have been introduced to historicize certain Old Testament testimonies” (Schonfield 1965).

This brings us to the pivotal point of the Biblical narrative, where, to all outsiders, including Jesus’ own apostles, all seems to be over for the charismatic leader that they had believed was going to lead them into a new age of glory.

It is the moment before sundown in Jerusalem. On the hill of Golgotha three bodies are suspended on crosses. Two – the thieves – are dead. The third appears so. This is the drugged body of Jesus of Nazareth, the man who planned his own crucifixion, who contrived to be given a soporific potion to put him into a deathlike trance. Now Joseph of Arimathea, bearing clean linen and spices, approaches and recovers the still form of Jesus. All seems to be proceeding according to plan. (Schonfield 1965)

The aloes and spices brought by Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea to Jesus’s tomb to supposedly embalm their now dead leader pose a particularly curious question, as embalming was not a practice of the Jews of the time. Perhaps these lotions served some other purpose? It has been suggested that “in reality, there were efforts behind the scenes to ‘bring Jesus back to life’ in the privacy of the tomb cavern, under the direction of Joseph and Nicodemus” (Kersten 1986).

Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who had earlier visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen*. This was in accordance with the Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no-one had ever been laid. (John 19:38-41)

*In earlier times “among the Hebrews is the religious requirement that the dead be buried in ‘kaneh’ shirts. Centuries later, linen was substituted for hemp” (Benet, 1975).

6 WHAT WERE THE LAST WORDS OF JESUS

Jesus’ last words according to Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34, were to quote Psalm 22, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?‘. It makes sense that these two gospels agree as Matthew is a re-write of Mark (directly using 92% of its text).

But in Luke 23:46, his last words were completely different: ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit‘. Luke might have heard that Jesus quoted scripture upon his death, but instead of Psalm 22:1 has him quote Psalm 31:5. Luke doesn’t tell us that he’s unsure which verse was quoted – he states it as a fact, just as the Mark and Matthew state their accounts as fact, even though it is clear that some of them simply didn’t know the truth.

The fourth gospel gives another different set of words: ‘It is finished’ (John 19:28-30).

 

7. WHAT HAPPENED IMMEDIATELY JESUS SUPPOSEDLY DIED?

Commentators:Mark 15:39 and Matthew 27:54 both have the centurions say (in different ways) that “truly this man was the son of god“. Luke 23:47 has it differently: “truly this man was innocent“, with no mention at all of Jesus’ divinity. Quite a thing to omit! In John however, everything is different and Jesus is surrounded by a talkative crowd of followers (including his mum) who tend to him with no centurions in sight (John 19:25-26).

Pilate is surprised when Jesus has died quickly on the cross according to Mark 15:44. This contradicts the gospel of John, where Pilate himself gives the order that Jesus’ legs are broken and he be stabbed with a spear (John 19:34) in order to quicken his death.

Three hours of darkness:

Mark 15:33 and Matt. 27:45 lower a curtain of supernatural darkness over the scene for three hours, from noon to three in the afternoon. Luke 23:45 mitigates the miraculous character somewhat, making the darkness into an eclipse, despite the impossibility of having an eclipse of the sun at the time of the full moon. John has no darkness at the crucifixion. (Seneca and Pliny the Elder both recorded eclipses and suchlike in the Mediterranean world at this time, but neither records this one.)

Incredible Shrinking Son of Man: How Reliable Is the Gospel Tradition?” by Robert M. Price (2003)

All four gospels have the crucifixion occur on or close to the Passover, an event which is also had on a full moon; but a full moon means that the sun is not eclipsed, hence Luke‘s astrological addition to the theory is erroneous.

Historian Dr Richard Carrier points out that “it was common lore of the time that the sun would be eclipsed at the death of a great king” [Examples given are John Lydus, Ost. 70a; see, for example, Herodotus, Hist. 7.37; Plutarch, Pel. 31.3 and Aem. 17.7-11; Dio Cassius, Hist. rom. 55.29.3. In Carrier (2012)] His analysis of the actual evidence leads him to conclude that “the event was certainly unhistorical” (Carrier, 2016).

An Earthquake and the rising of the dead from tombs: It is Matthew that gets most carried away in making stuff up, stating in Matthew 27:51-53 that there was an Earthquake, tombs open up, and dead people rise again. If this occurred, another miracle also occurred: no-one else noticed it all and physical evidence was carefully removed across the country. The other gospel writers must be insane not to at least mention Earthquakes and the walking dead, and neither do any other historians or authors.

The only earthquake confirmed for Palestine between 26 and 36 ce was ‘not energetic enough to produce’ visible effects of this magnitude, in contrast with another in 31 bce already noted by Josephus and extensively confirmed in surviving physical evidence (including cracked rocks and damaged human structures), according to Jefferson B. Williams, Markus J. Schwab and A. Brauer.

Carrier (2016) [Williams, Schwab & Brauer’s article “An Early First-Century Earthquake in the Dead Sea“, International Geology Review 54.10 (May 2012), pp. 1219-28. In Carrier (2016)]

In conclusion, Allah SWT says

[4:157] and for their saying, .We have certainly killed the MasiH Isa the son of Maryam, the Messenger of Allah., while in fact
they did neither kill him, nor crucify him, but they were deluded by resemblance. Those who disputed in this matter are
certainly in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it, but they follow whims. It is absolutely certain that they did
not kill him,
[4:158] but Allah lifted him towards Himself. Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.

References:

Abel, Ernest, Marihuana, The First Twelve Thousand Years, (1980)
Baigent, Michael, Richard Leigh & Henry Lincoln; The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, (1982)
Beal, Dana ; De Rienzo, Paul & Members of the Project, The Ibogaine Story: Report on the Staten Island Project, (1997)
Benet, Sula; ‘Early Diffusions and Folk Uses of Hemp‘, in Cannabis and Culture, (1975 )
Billiard, Michel ; Chokroverty, Sudhansu, Sleep Medicine: A Comprehensive Guide to Its Development, Clinical Milestones, and Advances in Treatment, (2015)
Boulton, T. B.; Atkinson,, Richard Stuart, The History of Anaesthesi, (1989)
Bocaccio, Giovanni, The Decameron (1353), The Decameron of Giovanni Boccacci, Villon society, (1886).
The Boston Medical and Surgical Journal, Volume 61, (1860)
Braid, James, Observations on trance; or, Human hybernation (1850)
Burke, O.M. Among the Dervishes, (1973).
de Laurence, L. W., Sacred Book of Death Hindu Spiritism Soul Transition and Soul Reincarnation‎, (1905)
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, The Devil’s Doctor: Paracelsus and the World of Renaissance Magic and Science, (2006)
Kersten, Holger; Jesus lived in India, His unknown Life Before & After the Crucifixion, (1986)
Lawrence, Reverend E. A., ‘wine of the Bible’, Princeton Review …, Volume 43, (1871)
Liesowska, Anna, ‘Reconstructing brain surgery as it was conducted around 3,000 years ago’, The Siberian Times. (16 August 2016)
Mead, GRS, Fragments of a Faith Forgotten: Some Short Sketches Among the Gnostics of the First Two Centuries, (1900)
O’Shaughnessy , W.B., Case of Tetanus, Cured by a Preparation of Hemp (1839)
Pagels, Elaine, The Gnostic Gospels, (1979)
Ratsch, Christian, Plants of Love: Aphrodisiacs in Myth, History, and the Present, (1997)
Rosenthal, Franz, The Herb; Hashish Versus Medieval Muslim Society, (1971)
Salverte, E., Thompson, A.T. , The Philosophy of Magic, Prodigies and Apparent Miracles, (1847)
Simpson, James Young, The obstetric memoirs and contributions of James Y. Simpson, Edited by William Overend Priestly, Horatio Robinson Storer, (1856)
Schonfield, Dr. Hugh J., The Passover Plot, (1967)
Shah, Idries, The Sufis, (1964)
Von Bibra, Baron Ernst, Plant Intoxicants, (1995) (Originally published as Die narkotischen Genufsmittel und der Mensch, (1855)
Wechsler, Israel Spanier, Clinical neurology, with an introduction to the history of neurology, (1963)
Wilkins, Robert, Fireside Book of Death, (1992)
Wilson, Robert Anton Sex & Drugs, (,1973)

Carrier, Richard Dr
(2012) Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism article “Thallus and the Darkness at Christ’s Death (ref JGRChJ 8 (2011-2012) 185-91). Accessed 2016 Sep 29.

Ehrman, Bart
(2006) The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot. Published by Oxford University Press.
(2011) Forged. Hardback book. Subtitled: “Writing in the Name of God – Why the Bible’s Authors Are Not Who We Think They Are”. Published by HarperCollins, New York, USA.

Ellerbe, Helen
(1995) The Dark Side of Christian History. Paperback book. Published by Morningstar & Lark, Windermere, FL, USA.

Price, Robert M.
(2003) Incredible Shrinking Son of Man: How Reliable Is the Gospel Tradition?. Published by Prometheus Books, NY, US2A.

 

Funsho Animashaun @ knowislam.com.ng

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ

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Islam confirms that Jesus will come back to underline the basis of his message, namely monotheism.

 

As a matter of fact, the Second Coming of the Messiah is such a hot issue which is subject to a lot of controversy among the followers of the three divine religions.

The believers of each faith have their own conception of this event. It is ironic that each faith has a different account of the anticipated incident.

 

As for Jews, they believe that Jesus was one of the false Jewish Messiah claimants because he failed to fulfill any Messianic prophecies.

 

Regarding the Christian idea that these prophecies will be fulfilled during a “Second Coming,” Ohr Samayach states: “We find this to be a contrived answer, since there is no mention of a second coming in the Jewish Bible. Second, why couldn’t God accomplish His goals the first time round?”

 

Rabbi David Wolpe believes that the Second Coming was “grown out of genuine disappointment” and invented by Christians to theologicallycompensate for Jesus’ death.

In Jewish eschatology, the term mashiach, or “Messiah,” came to refer to a future Jewish King from the Davidic line, who is expected to be anointed with holy anointing oil and rule the Jewish people during the Messianic Age.

 

The Messiah is often referred to as “King Messiah” or, in Hebrew, “ מלך המשיח ” (melekh mashiach), and in Aramaic, malka meshiḥa.

 

Orthodox views have generally held that the Messiah will be descended from his father through the line of King David, and will, among other things, gather the Jews back into the Land of Israel, usher in an era of peace, build the Third Temple, father a male heir and re-institute the Sanhedrin.

 

Jewish tradition alludes to two redeemers, both of whom are called mashiach and are involved in ushering in the Messianic age: Mashiach ben David and Mashiach ben Yosef. In general, the term Messiah unqualified refers to Mashiach ben David (Messiah, son of David).

 

In Christianity, the Second Coming of Christ, the Second Advent, sometimes called the Parousia, is the anticipated return of Jesus to Earth. The Second Coming belief is based on prophecies found in the canonical gospels and in most Christian eschatologies.

Christians generally believe the anticipated event is predicted in biblical messianic prophecies.

In the New Testament, the second Parousia, or coming of Christ as Judge of the world, is an oft-repeated doctrine.

 

Jesus not only foretells the event but graphically portrays its circumstances. He is quoted as saying: “For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Matthew 24:27)

 

According to the New Testament, Jesus will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We read the following verses in the New Testament: “He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.” (Acts 10:42)

 

“All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.” (2Thessalonians 1:5)

 

“While we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13)

 

As for Muslims, they believe in both the Messiah of the Jews and the Messiah of the Christians but according to a different belief system.

 

Muslims believe that some of the People of the Book, including Jews and Christians, will believe in Jesus as a Prophet and Messenger of Allah when he comes back to fight the False Messiah (the Antichrist) right before the end of the world.

 

Allah says: And [for] their saying, ‘Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of Allah.’ And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain. Rather, Allah raised him to Himself. And ever is Allah Exalted in Might and Wise. And there is none from the People of the Scripture but that he will surely believe in Jesus before his death . And on the Day of Resurrection he will be against them a witness. (An-Nisaa’4:157-159)

 

 

Commenting on the above verses, Al- Hasan, an eminent Muslim scholar, confirmed: “By Allah, i.e. before Jesus’ death. By Allah, he is alive with Allah. If he descends, let everybody of you believe in him.”

 

According to Islam, the Second Coming of Jesus is considered one of the signs of the end of the world (the Hour). The Qur’an says: And indeed, Jesus will be [a sign for] knowledge of the Hour, so be not in doubt of it, and follow Me. This is a straight path. (Az-Zukhruf 43:61)

 

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) foretold the Second Coming of Jesus who, according to him, will disown Christianity and preach monotheism and the worship of Allah alone.

 

Prophet Muhammad said: “By Him in Whose hands my soul rests, surely Jesus, Son of Mary, will soon descend amongst you and will judge mankind judiciously, as an honest ruler. He will break the cross, kill the pig and abolish Jizya. Money will abound in such excess that no one will wish to accept it. A single prostration to Allah, in prayer, will be better than the whole world and all it contains.” Abu Hurayrah, the narrator, added, “If you wish, you can recite this verse from the holy Quran:

 

And there is none from the People of the Scripture but that he will surely believe in Jesus before his death. And on the Day of Resurrection he will be against them a witness. (An- Nisaa’ 4:159).

 

Prophet Muhammad also prophesied that Jesus will come back to uphold Islam as the true monotheistic message of Allah to humanity. He informed us that Jesus (peace be upon him) will keep fighting the followers of all religions other than Islam and will kill the Antichrist.

 

According to Prophet Muhammad, he will live for forty years and Muslims will offer the funeral prayer for him when he dies.

Abu Hurairah narrated that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “There is no Prophet between me and him (Jesus Christ). He shall descend, so recognize him when you see him. He is a man of medium height, (his complexion) is between reddish and white; he will be between (dressed in) two slightly yellowish garments; his head looks as if it is dripping water even though it is not wet.

 

He will fight people in the cause (for the sake) of Islam, break the Cross, kill the swine (pig) and abolish Jizya (tax on Christians and Jews); and Allah will put an end to all religious sects except Islam during his (Jesus’) time. He (Jesus) will slay the Antichrist (Dajjal) and he will stay in the world for 40 years. Then, he will die and the Muslims will offer the funeral prayer for him.” (Abu Dawud)

 

Monotheism is affirmed more than once in the Bible. In the Old Testament, we read the following verse: “I am the Lord, andthere is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me.” (Isaiah 45:5)

 

In the New Testament, we read a dialogue between the Devil and Jesus where the latter told the former that it is God only Who must be worshiped alone. The New Testament cites such a dialogue as follows:

 

“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” (Matthew 4:8-10)

 

Thus, we can easily conclude that monotheism is the first and foremost message of all divine religions. As I stated above, Jesus himself asserted that it is Allah only Who must be worshiped alone.

 

Monotheism is the core of Jesus’ prophetic message. Islam confirms that Jesus will come back to underline the basis of his message, namely monotheism.

 

According to the Apocalypse of Peter, Jesus foretold that his message will be passed on to another race of an age to come. This may serve as a reference to the future believers in Jesus as a Prophet and Messenger of Allah.

 

In the Apocalypse of Peter, we read this passage: “These things, then, which you saw you shall present to those of another race who are not of this age. For there will be no honor in any man who is not immortal, but only (in) those who were chosen from an immortal substance, which has shown that it is able to contain him who gives his abundance.”

 

To sum up, the Jews have their own Messiah and the Christians also have their own Messiah. Muslims believe in both Messiahs, with one deemed the Antichrist (the Jewish Messiah) and the other deemed such a Prophet of Allah (Jesus Christ) who will descend to put an end to disbelief and polytheism and proclaim monotheism.

 

 

 

 

 

Credit : islamforchristians.com

KHAMR (INTOXICANTS) BETWEEN ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY

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Khamr (Intoxicants) between Islam and Christianity

It goes without saying that Khamr (intoxicants) is explicitly prohibited in islam, Several texts forbid Khamr in the glorious Qur’an and the Prophetic Sunnah (traditions). For example, in the Qur’an, God says:

They ask you about Khamr and gambling. Say, “In them is great sin and [yet, some] benefit for people. But their sin is greater than their benefit.” ( Al-Baqarah 2:219)
God also says:

O you who have believed, indeed, Khamr , gambling, [sacrificing on] stone alters [to other than God], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it that you may be successful. Satan only wants to cause between you animosity and hatred through Khamr and gambling and to avert you from the remembrance of God and from prayer. So will you not desist?
( Al-Ma’idah 5:90-91)

It is reported on the authority of Ibn `Umar that the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) said: “Each intoxicant is Khamr and each intoxicant is prohibited.” (Muslim)
The Commander of Believers, `Uthman ibn `Affan, (may God be pleased with him) said: “I heard the Messenger of God as saying: ‘Avoid Khamr for it is the mother of all evils…for by God faith and Khamr cannot coexist but, one of them will soon expel the other.’” (Al-Bayhaqi & Ibn Hibban).

As for Khamr in Christianity and the Bible , including the Old Testament and the New Testament, Khamr is also prohibited or at least detestable. However, its addiction is definitely prohibited in Christianity.

In the Old Testament, we read: “Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations: And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean; And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.” (Leviticus 10:9-11).

We also read: “The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of dedication to the Lord as a Nazarite, they must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or other fermented drink. They must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins. As long as they remain under their Nazarite vow, they must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins (Numbers 6:1-4)

We further read: “Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean (Judges 13:4), “But he said to me, ‘You will become pregnant and have a son. Now then, drink no wine or other fermented drink and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazarite of God from the womb until the day of his death.” (Judges 13:7).

As for the New Testament, it praises Prophet John the son of Zechariah for he would not drink wine or strong drinks. We read: “But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.” (Luke 1:13-15)

The New Testament tells us that Jesus Christ did not accept drinking wine before his ascension. We read: “And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.” (Mark 15:23)

The New Testament expressly prohibits wine and intoxication. We read: “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18)
The New Testament explicitly prohibits bishops, deacons, aged women and average Christians from getting addicted to wine. We read: “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous (1 Timothy 3:2-3)

We also read: “Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain” (1 Timothy 3:8), “The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things.” (Titus 2:3)

We further read: “For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banqueting, and abominable idolatries (1 Peter 4:3)
Thus, clear-cut verses from the Holy Scriptures in Judaism, Christianity and Islam are unanimous about the prohibition of Khamr.

However, there are some Christians who claim that it is permissible to consume Khamr . In support of their claim, they quote some equivocal verses from the Bible. Unfortunately, such verses which seemingly convey an impression that Khamr is permissible are interpolated into the Bible.

In the Bible including the Old Testament and the New Testament, we find many verses seemingly implying the permission of Khamr consumption. For example, the Old Testament claims that Prophet Noah drank wine and got drunken and uncovered within his tent.
We read: “And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard. And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent (Genesis 9:20-21).

The Old Testament also alleges that the daughters of Prophet Lot made him drink wine and lay with him. We read: Then Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters were with him; for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. And he and his two daughters dwelt in a cave. Now the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth to come in to us as is the custom of all the earth. Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. It happened on the next day that the firstborn said to the younger, “Indeed I lay with my father last night; let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father” Then they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. (Genesis 19:30-35)
As for the New Testament, it tells us that Jesus Christ transformed water into wine. We read: “So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine.” (John 4:46)
There are many other examples in the Bible which may outwardly imply the permission of Khamr consumption. However, all of those verses are definitely interpolated into the Bible. To tell the truth, Khamr is prohibited in crystal clear terms in all Holy Scriptures according to conclusive evidence from the Qur’an and Prophet Muhammad’s tradition as well as the uncorrupted parts of the Bible in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.
_________
References:
1- The Glorious Qur’an (Sahih International Translation)
2- Sahih Muslim
3- The Holy Bible (Visit biblegateway.com)

CREDIT:islamforchristians.com

'I'm going to kill all Muslims': Witnesses recount horror of Finsbury Park terrorist attack

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Witnesses have described the aftermath of the terrorist attack targeted at Muslims after a terrorist drove a van into Muslims leaving prayers.

 

According to one man at the scene, the suspect – a 48-year-old who was detained by onlookers before being arrested by police – screamed “I’m going to kill all Muslims” before he was tackled to the floor.

 

Abdulrahman Saleh Alamoudi said he was among a group of people helping an elderly worshipper who had fallen down, perhaps because of the heat, when the van swerved towards them.

 

He told BuzzFeed News: “This big van just came and went all over us.

“I think at least eight or 10 people got injured. Luckily I managed to escape. And then the terrorist came out of his van and I got him.

 

“He was screaming, he was saying, ‘I’m going to kill all Muslims, I’m going to kill all Muslims’. He was throwing punches.

“Then we managed to get him on the floor. Then he was saying, ‘Kill me, kill me’. I said, ‘We are not going to kill you. Why did you do that?’ He wouldn’t say anything.”

Another witness, Abdikadar Warfa, said he helped to detain the suspect while his friends helped victims.

“I saw a man underneath the van. He was bleeding. My friend said he had to lift the van, I was busy with a man who tried to escape. My friend said he said some words, but I didn’t hear it,” he said.

“They (people who were hit) were mostly young. They are very bad. I tried to stop him (the suspect), some people were hitting him but I said stop him and keep him until the police came.

Men pray after a vehicle collided with pedestrians near a mosque in the Finsbury Park neighborhood of North London
Men pray after a vehicle collided with pedestrians near a mosque in the Finsbury Park neighborhood of North London CREDIT: REUTERS

“He was trying to run away but people overpowered him. He was fighting to run away.”

Mr Salah Alamoudi said he had also helped to hold the suspect on the ground for up to half an hour before police arrived.

“The guy, I had to keep him at least half an hour. He was a strong guy. A big man,” he said.

“It was heartbreaking. It wasn’t an accident.”

One resident told the Press Association he jumped out of the way as the van struck pedestrians.

The man, who did not want to be named, said: “The gentleman went straight down this road, people were just conversing, talking, just doing what we’re doing. And he just came into all of us.

Forensic investigators work the scene in the Finsbury Park area of north London
Forensic investigators work the scene in the Finsbury Park area of north London CREDIT: AFP

“There was a lot of people. We got told to move straight away. I was shocked, shocked, shocked. There were bodies around me.

“Thank God I just moved to the side, I just jumped. Everyone is hurt. Everyone is actually hurt.”

Another man, who gave his name as Mohin, said his cousin was caught up in the incident.

The 32-year-old told the Press Association: “There were a lot of people in the street, crossing the street, going to mosque for prayers, for forgiveness, just to pray and go home and eat.

“They are doing their usual daily routine – they did not expect a van coming out of nowhere hitting them.

“It was around 11.30pm, 12-ish. I’ve been living here all my life. As a community, everyone’s a family here.

“I initially thought it was my cousin.”

Armed police officers attend to the scene after a vehicle collided with pedestrians in the Finsbury Park
Armed police officers attend to the scene after a vehicle collided with pedestrians in the Finsbury Park CREDIT: REUTERS

Andrew, a courier who did not wish to give his surname, said he saw three people on the floor and at least one of them appeared to be in Muslim dress.

The 45-year-old, of St Albans, Hertfordshire, said he was driving back from a night shift when he saw the aftermath of the collision.

He said: “When I drove past slowly I could count three people on the floor and police were performing CPR on one of them.

“The guy having CPR performed on him was in a gown, ethnic clothing.”

Ratip Alsulaimen told the Press Association he was nearby when alerted by a friend.

He said: “I was sitting in the coffee shop just a couple of minutes away. One of our friends was reporting what was going on in the front of the mosque.

Police officers talk with local people at Finsbury Park in north London
Police officers talk with local people at Finsbury Park in north London CREDIT: PA

“He said the car was smashing into the people getting out of the mosque, so we just ran away, all of us, and came to see what’s happening.

“When I came I saw ambulance people taking people to the ambulance. I think between eight to 10 people were taken away.

“There was an old man – about 60 years old – I don’t know if he’s alive or dead. There were other people, mid-30 to 40. There are men and women.

“We are shocked when we heard the news because we were just having a good time. We were praying for peace and for Grenfell Tower.

“When we heard this we were actually shocked.”

 

Watch video where the terrorist was held down by Muslims

 

Credit : www.telegraph.co.uk, ilmfeeds

 

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