Artful Dodger: He's not for free speech, he's not even a free speech advocate. He's just another neo con wanting his 15 minutes.

Tuesday: Is very handy for little vids demonstrating how to do things that you've never done.... or forgotten how to do

Bernice: ??? You mean you don't check out things!!

Not even for on-line price comparison!!! O .... M .... G

Übergeek 바둑이: Because the other Arab countries think Gadaffi is a complete sadistic nutter and want him gone as well. The population of Libya want him gone, it takes attention of the rest of the countries away from their dictatorial governments.

..... The other states to 'democracise' would take more money and man power and potentially lead to another "Iraq".

"Is it just me or is Lybia the only country with oil"

With the intermix of borders I don't think it matters even if.

Tuesday: Yes and no. Some will be the way you are 'told' God works by others. They just don't say that half that time that is to just preserve the validity of their way of thinking from pure "righteousness" ...... yet not state that even the "righteous" sin and make errors.

lizrising: Can you actually win a civil war? Not saying the "North" won or the "South" lost, but.... country men are killing country men, families split, infrastructure ruined.

I mean.. In ours, the Roundheads won. Yet, soon enough the Crown was restored under Charles II.

Artful Dodger: But implicit in such a term (in America) is loyalty to the USA. Just because the word "God" has been replaced by "Allah" (the one God) doesn't take out the loyalty implied by such a display. Would you get upset if the Jewish faith put up a sign saying "In YHVH we trust"?

Would YHVH offend? It shouldn't, yet some Christians in their "who's the better Christian" competition" would. Implicit though in the Jewish faith is more respect to the use of Ha-Shem.

Tuesday: 'He' being upset, as to say that 'He' would get upset over whether a name we humans made up is used or not used doesn't ring true. I would have thought Job and indeed Christ talking about turning the cheek or forgiving those who crucified his material incarnation (Jesus) would clarify that point.

"but taking him out of everything is going to leave us vulnerable."

How? We are not talking about statues of God's as per say..... the Greeks and Romans. Or (again as per say the Romans) "house Gods".

Pedro Martínez: But it isn't a myth. It's not an exact rule, but generally it is taught in English Language lessons that in some cases such uses of "but" and "and" just look stupid. That is.. it is taught in British English Language lessons!!

Justaminute: That is sorta said by Jesus. God isn't your servant to be used willy nilly.

Tuesday: I don't think God is going to get upset over the mention or non mention of a man made phrase.

Tuesday: More seems to be going towards the stuff that makes Americans fatter. It looks like the Adipose level needs increasing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57g3dKzYMuU&

Bernice: I would have thought so, enough "Limey's" were encouraged to Australia under the £10 deal to make sure you'd have quite a take away business in "Foster's Land" based on "Fish n' Chips"..

I'm Just glad the "fry" has not taken over.

One scheme in London involves the recycling of cooking oil from various restaurants and fast food places and conversion into bio diesel.

The Taxi drivers like it as it's cheaper then normal diesel.. the sewer cleaners like it.. less fat poured down the drains causing hard fat blockages that need manual cleaning. In the end if all used oil in London was recycled it'd be enough to run ALL the Taxi's in London.

If it was all collected.. the only consideration would be... is the oil all mixed up.. or the various flavours kept separate.

eg Chinese, Indian, Fish n' Chips.....

... If everyone who had an affair was banned from office..

Why was McCain running for President?

Hypocrisy... Bill O'Reilly... affair... Rush Limbaugh... drug addiction.

Tuesday: Then it should have been left as a private matter. Between him and his missus and any relevant family.

If we went by a rule that everyone who strays and is in public office has to resign.. Does that mean teachers, the bin men, police officers, etc all have to quit?

I ask this about David Duke as it would be strange to have a President automatically banned from certain countries due to his views on the Holocaust.

I imagine him being a KKK member and a believer in ....

"With the above understanding of nations and States, we Whites can examine our own situation better. Phrasing our position in terms of the basic nationalist arguments, one can state that we Whites are a nation, that the interests and values of that nation take priority over all others and that we must be as independent as possible. Therefore, we must embark on a program leading towards greater sovereignty and security for our nation. We must not let ANY government impose policies and programs that are harmful to our nation's interests."

.. will cause some problems when it comes to diplomatic relations with other countries.

Btw.. I think he hates Jewish people as well.. is this guy considered racist in the USA or just some neo nazi crackpot?

Is David Duke being asked to run for pres by the Tea party as he claims?

lizrising: “Diaper Dave” was forgiven and re-elected because if he stepped down the Republicans would lose a seat of power to a Democrat!!

Tuesday: So.... ???

Don't members of the public mess up their marriages, have open relationships.. swinging parties and other events... as in some places prostitution is legal.

Are these serving people formally members of the public? So why if the public can be human do we expect politicians, etc to be robots?

Tuesday: So those Christian funde's are going for more PR are they. Hasn't the case come to the Supreme court yet banning such action!! Or is the poor excuse of free speech going to run over peoples rights to have a peaceful funeral respecting America's war dead yet again!!

Why is it still so bad in some people's minds that a person has to lose their job if they are in public office and have sexual desires

.. If the same rule applied to the private sector... then directors, etc would be falling at the rate of ten a penny. But business doesn't seem to care, as being human seems to be a recognised condition and separate to how good you can run a business.

The secret Republicans and the Tea Party Supporters don't want you to know.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k71DYM20WRM&

Maybe the USA government needs to undo some of Raygun's gifts to the rich. Now that administration will take far more than the neo-con's are saying Obama's doing to beat Raygun's reputation as the worst Presidents of all time.. His admin will certainly take alot to beat in terms of criminal activity, corruption and blatant lying.

Bernice: Yep. I think no matter how changes in peoples views over marriage change (as it has) the King or Queen will have to get married. Church of England head of thingy

Bernice: Some are humour, some of it came from him being in the navy..some are just him being a 90 year old. Different age.

Some of this "Different age" has come to light over the remake of the Dambusters film and a dog who was called a latin name for black. Now.. it cannot be used.

It's like some Australians calling us Brits "Limeys" or thinking we eat chip butties all the time. Nobody except really sensitive people really care.

Übergeek 바둑이: I think his job as HRH hubby paid better.. Plus I think he'd loved more to have been on the Goon Show

Bernice: He's 90 married to the Queen. And has a classic British sense of humour. Something one American comedian stated is hard to understand by those outside the UK.

Artful Dodger: Just think.. not that long ago, the enlightened world allowed marital rape...

As the concept of human rights has developed, the belief of a marital right to sexual intercourse has become less widely held. Feminists worked systematically since the 1960s to overturn the marital rape exemption and criminalize marital rape.[11] Increasing criminalization of spousal rape is part of a worldwide reclassification of sexual crimes "from offenses against morality, the family, good customs, honor, or chastity … to offenses against liberty, self-determination, or physical integrity."[12] In December 1993, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights published the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women[11]. This establishes marital rape as a human rights violation.

Despite these trends and international moves, criminalization has not occurred in all UN member States. In 1997, UNICEF reported that just 17 States criminalized marital rape.[13] In 2003, UNIFEM reported that more than 50 States did so.[14] In 2006, the UN Secretary General found "Marital rape may be prosecuted in at least 104 States. Of these, 32 have made marital rape a specific criminal offence, while the remaining 74 [sic] do not exempt marital rape from general rape provisions. Four States criminalize marital rape only when the spouses are judicially separated."[14]

Countries which were early to criminalize marital rape include the Soviet Union (1922/1960),[15] Poland (1932), Czechoslovakia (1950), Denmark (1960), Sweden (1965),[16] Norway (1971), and some other members of the Communist Bloc.[16] The Israeli Supreme Court affirmed that marital rape is a crime in a 1980 decision, citing law based on the Talmud.[17][18] Criminalization in Australia began with the state of New South Wales in 1981, followed by all other states from 1985 to 1992.[19] Several formerly British-ruled countries followed suit: Canada (1983),[20][21] New Zealand (1985), and Ireland (1990).[19]

Many United States rape statutes formerly precluded the prosecution of spouses, including estranged or even legally separated couples. In 1975, South Dakota removed this exception.[22] In 1993, North Carolina became the last state to remove the spousal exemption.[23] However, as of 1999, 33 of 50 U.S. states regard spousal rape as a lesser crime [Bergen, 1999]. The perpetrator may be charged with related crimes such as assault, battery, or spousal abuse. There are other criminal charges that may be inapplicable to married couples. For example, in the U.S., there is a marriage exemption to the charge of statutory rape even if one of the spouses is under the age of consent in the jurisdiction where the sexual act takes place.

France's Cour de Cassation authorized prosecution of spouses for rape or sexual assualt in 1990, but ruled in 1992 that a presumption of consent exists from the time of marriage until it is revoked by either party.[24] In 1994, Law 94-89 criminalized marital rape;[24] a second law, passed 4 April 2006, makes rape by a partner (including in unmarried couples, married couples, and in civil unions) an aggravating circumstance in prosecuting rape.[25] Germany outlawed spousal rape only in 1997, which is later than other developed countries. Female ministers and women's rights activists lobbied for this law for over 25 years.[26



............... Just think.. If we hadn't made such a mess by supporting fundamentalist groups to kill "our enemies", maybe the mindset would be different. Less neo-con.

Pedro Martínez:

From The American Muslim


"By the way, do you read Quran"

Bits and pieces, like I do with quite a few religions. I'm particularly fond of comparison you see, helps free the spirit.

Sufi's of the Islam faith I have read quite a few bits. Such as this....

"5.If a man has bad (sinful) actions [‘amal] so be it, but Allah forbid that his Belief [‘aqeedah] is bad. In a hadith it is written that run from a leper as you would from a lion; those with bad Belief are lepers of the heart—protect yourself from them, in fact do not even sit where they have sat. "

by Naqshbandi Sufi Master from Pakistan.

The Fiqh Council of North America wishes to reaffirm Islam’s absolute condemnation of terrorism and religious extremism.
Islam strictly condemns religious extremism and the use of violence against innocent lives. There is no justification in Islam for extremism or terrorism. Targeting civilians life and property through suicide bombings or any other method of attack is haram Җ or forbidden - and those who commit these barbaric acts are criminals, not martyrs.Ӕ

The Quran, IslamҒs revealed text, states: “Whoever kills a person [unjustly]it is as though he has killed all mankind. And whoever saves a life, it is as though he had saved all mankind.” (QurŒan, 5:32)

Prophet Muhammad said there is no excuse for committing unjust acts: “Do not be people without minds of your own, saying that if others treat you well you will treat them well, and that if they do wrong you will do wrong to them. Instead, accustom yourselves to do good if people do good and not to do wrong (even) if they do evil.” (Al-Tirmidhi)

God mandates moderation in faith and in all aspects of life when He states in the Quran: ғWe made you to be a community of the middle way, so that (with the example of your lives) you might bear witness to the truth before all mankind. (QurԒan, 2:143)

In another verse, God explains our duties as human beings when he says: Let there arise from among you a band of people who invite to righteousness, and enjoin good and forbid evil.Ӕ (Quran, 3:104)
Islam teaches us to act in a caring manner to all of God’s creation. The Prophet Muhammad, who is described in the QurҒan as a mercy to the worldsӔ said: All creation is the family of God, and the person most beloved by God (is the one) who is kind and caring toward His family.”

In the light of the teachings of the QurӒan and Sunnah we clearly and strongly state:

1. All acts of terrorism targeting civilians are haram (forbidden) in Islam.
2. It is haram for a Muslim to cooperate with any individual or group that is involved in any act of terrorism or violence.
3. It is the civic and religious duty of Muslims to cooperate with law enforcement authorities to protect the lives of all civilians.

We issue this fatwa following the guidance of our scripture, the Quran, and the teachings of our Prophet Muhammad Җ peace be upon him. We urge all people to resolve all conflicts in just and peaceful manners.

We pray for the defeat of extremism and terrorism. We pray for the safety and security of our country, the United States, and its people. We pray for the safety and security of all inhabitants of our planet. We pray that interfaith harmony and cooperation prevail both in the United States and all around the globe.


.....145 Muslim organizations, mosques and imams have endorsed the preceding fatwa as of July 28, 2005 (see below). More signatory organizations are to be added in the following days. To add your American Muslim organization to the list, please email your name, title, and affiliation to cair@cair-net.org.

Tuesday: China has had population control for decades, yet that is an extreme example of the problems of overpopulation and how to stop it.

Bernice: ?????????????

Artful Dodger: Are you falsely claiming that others (including me are) not honest.

We are more honest then you are.

"And it's only been used twice and only in extreme circumstances."

I hear on three people so far (requires more investigation to reasonably confirm numbers), and the number of times on two people was 266 times. It can kill or even cause damage to the lungs and brain.

The technique of waterboarding or any kind of torture is against what Christ taught, by nature of what it says in the Bible. Even when arrested Christ healed the ear of one of the arresting party that one of his buddies had cut off.

If you cannot accept Christ's words then go back to being a non Christian please, as you are giving Christians a bad name.

5. [Thereon] out of the Light . . . 1 a Holy Word (Logos) 2 descended on that Nature. And upwards to the height from the Moist Nature leaped forth pure Fire; light was it, swift and active too. The Air, too, being light, followed after the Fire; from out the Earth-and-Water rising up to Fire so that it seemed to hang therefrom. But Earth-and-Water stayed so mingled each with other, that Earth from Water no one could discern. 3 Yet were they moved to hear by reason of the Spirit-Word (Logos) pervading them.

6. Then saith to me Man-Shepherd: Didst understand this Vision what it means?

Nay; that shall I know, I said. That Light, He said, am I, thy God, Mind, prior to Moist Nature which appeared from Darkness; the Light-Word (Logos) [that appeared] from Mind is Son of God.

p. 6

What then?—say I. Know that what sees in thee 1 and hears is the Lord’s Word (Logos); but Mind is Father-God. Not separate are they the one from other; just in their union [rather] is it Life consists.

Mousetrap: It's a case of "us and them" when you believe "us and them" it makes it easy to justify hurting "them". Once you start believing "them" then it becomes easier to make more divisions. Hence "legion", or as otherwise stated.. separatism.

Oneness accepts and knows, all is God.. even though you may not understand it all, which is part of acceptance.

Christian terrorism comprises terrorist acts by groups or individuals who claim Christian motivations or goals for their actions. As with other forms of religious terrorism, Christian terrorists have relied on idiosyncratic or literalistic interpretations of the tenets of faith—in this case, the Bible. Such groups have used Old Testament and New Testament scriptures to justify violence or to seek to bring about the "end times" described in the New Testament, while others have hoped to bring about a Christian theocracy.

The National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), a rebel group operating in Tripura, North-East India, has been described as engaging in terrorist violence motivated by their Christian beliefs. [8] It is classified by the National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism as one of the ten most active terrorist groups in the world, and has been accused of forcefully converting people to Christianity.[9][10] The insurgency in Nagaland was led by the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) and continues today with its faction NSCN–Isaac Muivah, which explicitly calls for a "Nagalim for Christ".[11] The state government reports that the Baptist Church of Tripura supplies arms and gives financial support to the NLFT.[9][10][12] In April 2000, the secretary of the Noapara Baptist Church in Tripura, Nagmanlal Halam, was arrested with a large quantity of explosives. He confessed to illegally buying and supplying explosives to the NLFT for two years.[13] This church is reported to have encouraged the NLFT to murder Hindus, particularly infants.[12] The NLFT has threatened to kill Hindus celebrating the annual five-day religious festival of Durga Puja and other religious celebrations.[14]

Hutaree was a Christian militia group based in Adrian, Michigan. In 2010, after an FBI agent infiltrated the group, nine of its members were indicted by a federal grand jury in Detroit on charges of seditious conspiracy to use of improvised explosive devices, teaching the use of explosive materials, and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence.

The Lord's Resistance Army, a cult guerrilla army engaged in an armed rebellion against the Ugandan government, has been accused of using child soldiers and committing numerous crimes against humanity; including massacres, abductions, mutilation, torture, rape, porters, and sex slaves.[34] A quasi-religious movement that mixes some aspects of Christian and Islamic beliefs with its own brand of spiritualism,[35] it is led by Joseph Kony, who proclaims himself the spokesperson of God and a spirit medium, primarily of the "Holy Spirit" which the Acholi believe can represent itself in many manifestations.[page needed][36][36][37][38] LRA fighters wear rosary beads and recite passages from the Bible before battle

Artful Dodger: You shall not murder... No.6 on the list of the BIG top 10

So you die, go to heaven and say to God "I killed a bastard" ...

N' St Peter says...

Mousetrap: It says as such in the Bible.. division is legion as it allows people to start justifying treating others with evilness.

"I read the children of the law of one."

Good read then?

Tuesday: Yet such as jealousy is just a manifestation of our human bio chemical processes. God, unless you count the universe is not of physical form, just manifest in physical form through the universe.

Some of the way we attribute certain emotions to God is based on the old Gods of Rome and Greece. As a means to show we have them and the control they exert on us.

1. [Hermes.] Concerning Soul and Body, son, we now must speak; in what way Soul is deathless, and whence comes the activity 1 in composing and dissolving Body.

For there’s no death for aught of things [that are]; the thought [this] word conveys, is either void of fact, or [simply] by the knocking off a syllable what is called “death,” doth stand for “deathless.” 2

p. 125

For death is of destruction, and nothing in the Cosmos is destroyed. For if Cosmos is second God, a life 1 that cannot die, it cannot be that any part of this immortal life should die. All things in Cosmos are parts of Cosmos, and most of all is man, the rational animal.

2. For truly first of all, eternal and transcending birth, is God the universals’ Maker. Second is he “after His image,” Cosmos, brought into being by Him, sustained and fed by Him, made deathless, as by his own Sire, living for aye, as ever free from death.

Now that which ever-liveth, differs from the Eternal; for He 2 hath not been brought to being by another, and even if He have been brought to being, He hath not been brought into being by Himself, but ever is brought into being.

For the Eternal, in that It is eternal, is the all. The Father is Himself eternal of Himself, but Cosmos hath become eternal and immortal by the Father.



........... Must be true.. It's in a book!!

I remember my chemistry books saying electrons were such predictable items in terms of their motion. Yet another fact in a book. So it must be true.

.. Yet understanding has improved, so it is not.

Some old books say the world is flat.. another fact!!

Artful Dodger: Mein Kampf is a book. Written by Adolf Hitler.

Artful Dodger: The west taught them to be murders. They are our own demons come back to haunt us. We gave them the training, the arms necessary to murder Russians. We created a loose canon.

From the Washington post.

Plus torture is unreliable.
Army Col. Stuart Herrington, a military intelligence specialist who conducted interrogations in Vietnam, Panama and Iraq during Desert Storm

"In his experience, nine out of 10 people can be persuaded to talk with no "stress methods" at all, let alone cruel and unusual ones. Asked whether that would be true of religiously motivated fanatics, he says that the "batting average" might be lower: "perhaps six out of ten." And if you beat up the remaining four? "They'll just tell you anything to get you to stop.""

The article then goes to say....

Worse, you'll have the other side effects of torture. It "endangers our soldiers on the battlefield by encouraging reciprocity." It does "damage to our country's image" and undermines our credibility in Iraq. That, in the long run, outweighs any theoretical benefit. Herrington's confidential Pentagon report, which he won't discuss but which was leaked to The Post a month ago, goes farther. In that document, he warned that members of an elite military and CIA task force were abusing detainees in Iraq, that their activities could be "making gratuitous enemies" and that prisoner abuse "is counterproductive to the Coalition's efforts to win the cooperation of the Iraqi citizenry." Far from rescuing Americans, in other words, the use of "special methods" might help explain why the war is going so badly.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2302-2005Jan11.html

Tuesday: Everyone is taught in the USA in how to deal with all their bio chemical responses? Fight/Flight, Jealousy, Greed, Herd reflex, etc? How to understand their conscious, subconscious and unconscious and keep it all in mind?

He created us in his own image... what that is people try to define. God is supposed to have killed.. then how does that make killing evil, unless you are going to call God evil.

Tuesday: It says in the OT that God creates the good and the bad/evil ... the exact last word varies depending on the translation.

Tuesday: And what if the murderer is due to the result of years of abuse with no help? What if the terrors done to them is a daily nightmare in their brain? How does God judged them?

"Watching the news makes me want it to end....abuse of animals and kids etc."

Yet it is all part of the plan... even the bits we hate.

20 “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. 21 Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him. 22 If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. 23 My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out. 24 Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces. 25 Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, 26 and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span.

27 “I will send my terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run. 28 I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way. 29 But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.

Exodus 32
5 Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies. 26 So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the LORD, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him.

27 Then he said to them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’” 28 The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. 29 Then Moses said, “You have been set apart to the LORD today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day.”

30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”

31 So Moses went back to the LORD and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. 32 But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.”

33 The LORD replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book. 34 Now go, lead the people to the place I spoke of, and my angel will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin.”

35 And the LORD struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.

There is no doubt that the Qur’an has a number of belligerent verses, like 8:12, for example. Yet, as I have explained in the past, these verses have a context. Once the context is understood, the verses are clearly understood. Yet, before I go into verse 8:12, I must explain a bit about the process of revelation of the Qur’an. The Qur’an was not revealed all at once in toto. Rather, it was gradually sent down over a period of 23 years. During that period, the community of believers evolved and specific situations came up, to which the Qur’anic text frequently responded. That is why the Qur’an seems to be fragmented if one reads the book from cover to cover. The Qur’an, in fact, mentions this gradual process:

“God - there is no deity save Him, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsistent Fount of All Being! Step by step has He bestowed upon thee [O Muhammad] from on high this divine writ, setting forth the truth which confirms whatever there still remains (of earlier revelations): for it is He who has bestowed from on high the Torah and the Gospel” (3:2-3).

This is important to understand when reading verse 8:12. This verse - along with several ahead of it - was revealed in reference to the Battle of Badr, the first major battle between the Muslims and the Meccan pagans around 625 C.E. A little background is in order.

After the Prophet (pbuh) and his followers were expelled from Mecca and migrated to Yathrib (now known as Medina), a city 300 miles to the north, the Meccans seized all the property of the Muslims that was left in Mecca. This was an act of open war. When the Prophet learned that a large caravan of the Meccans was coming from Syria near Medina, he intended to attack it. Abu Sufyan, who was leading the caravan, learned of this planned attack and sent word to Mecca for protection. His fellow Meccans sent an army, and they met in battle at Badr. The Muslims handily defeated the Meccans, killing almost all of the most important leaders of Mecca.

Now, verse 8:12 comes into clearer focus. The verse speaks about what God told the angels to say to the believers, in order to inspire them before the battle. The Muslims were very fearful, especially since the Meccans were thrice their number, battle hardened, and much better equipped. This becomes even clearer when the verse is read in context:

[9]: Lo! You were praying unto your Sustainer for aid, whereupon He thus responded to you: “I shall, verily, aid you with a thousand angels following one upon another!”

[10]: And God ordained this only as a glad tiding, and that your hearts should thereby be set at rest - since no succour can come from any save God: verily, God is almighty, wise!

[11]: [Remember how it was] when He caused inner calm to enfold you, as an assurance from Him, and sent down upon you water from the skies, so that He might purify you thereby and free you from Satan’s unclean whisperings and strengthen your hearts and thus make firm your steps.

[12]: Lo! Thy Sustainer inspired the angels [to convey this His message to the believers]: “I am with you! [And He commanded the angels:] “And give firmness unto those who have attained to faith (with these words from Me:) ‘I shall cast terror into the hearts of those who are bent on denying the truth; strike, then, their necks, and strike off every one of their finger-tips.’” [emphasis added]

See? The verse is clearly speaking about the events surrounding the Battle of Badr. It is not a general command to “strike at the necks of the infidels.” Anyone with an understanding of the history of Islam knows this. When I read these verses, I know that they refer to the Battle of Badr. No where in my mind is there even an inkling of a thought to “strike at the necks of the infidels.”

This reminds me of another verse which is frequently cited by critics of Islam as proof of the Qur’an’ s exhortation to kill those who are not Muslim. In fact, some of these critics even claim that this verse is the scriptural basis for the brutal and inhuman practice of beheading now common in Iraq and Afghanistan:

“smite their (the infidels) necks until you overcome them fully, and then tighten their bonds” (47:4)

This could not be farther from the truth. Now, I purposely quoted only part of the verse out of context to show how misleading this tactic is. The full verse reads:

“Now when you meet [in war] those who are bent on denying the truth (commonly translated as “the infidels”) smite their necks until you overcome them fully, and then tighten their bonds; but thereafter [set them free] either by an act of grace or against ransom, so that the burden of war may be lifted: thus [shall it be]. And [know that] had God so willed, He could indeed punish them [Himself]; but [He wills you to struggle] so as to test you [all] by means of one another. And as for those who are slain in God’s cause, never will He let their deeds go to waste.” (47:4)

This verse, like 8:12, is speaking about the believers’ conduct in an open battle against the enemy. God is “psyching up” the believers before a battle, just like American soldiers psych themselves up before they go into combat. It is not an open call to behead all infidels. Once again, when the verse is understood in its context, this becomes obviously clear.

In fact, the verse actually is one of mercy toward the enemy. After the battle is over, during which the believers are to “smite their necks,” the verse directs the believers to set free those who are captured by the Muslims, either “by an act of grace or against ransom.” These captives are avowed enemies, who would have killed the believers if they had the chance. Despite this, however, the verse directs the Muslims to set them free. How, in God’s Most Holy Name, can this verse be one of terror?