http://www.homelandsecurityus.com/Tulsa062307
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At Tulsa mosque, criticizing Islamic terrorists can be hazardous to your health
23 June 2007: Jamal MIFTAH, a Muslim who attended the Islamic Society of Tulsa, Oklahoma is now considered "public enemy number one" in the Tulsa Muslim community. His crime? He openly condemned the terrorist actions of Osama bin Laden and other Islamic terrorists in a letter to the editor (reprinted below) that was published in the Tulsa World daily newspaper on 29 October 2006. In his op-ed piece, MIFTAH urged Muslims to stop killing in the name of Islam, called bin Laden and other top Islamic terrorist cowards and stated that "some mosques and Islamic institutions in the U.S. and around the world have become tools in their hands and are used for collecting funds for their criminal acts."
What happened to Mr. MIFTAH following the publication of his letter is the focus of a lawsuit he filed against the Islamic Society of Tulsa and several other related defendants. (A transcription of the lawsuit is published in its entirety below). According to Mr. MIFTAH, on or about 18 November 2006, he attended prayers at the mosque as he had normally done in the past. Following the prayers, Mr. MIFTAH alleges that the Iman of the Mosque and a defendant named in the lawsuit, Ahmad KABBANI, confronted him in an aggressive manner – forcing him to retreat against a wall inside the mosque and told him that he "should be ashamed" of the letter he wrote, claiming that it was "anti-Islamic."
At the same time and while being nearly pinned against the wall, mosque members and named defendants Houssam ELSOUESSSI, Abdullah ROE and Nooruddin DOE also confronted Mr. Miftah, screaming and shouting allegations that Mr. MIFTAH is "anti Muslim" and a "traitor" to Islam. ROE also removed his shoe, waived and swung it at Mr. MIFTAH'S face, shouting that he was "anti Muslim" and a "traitor." Mr. MIFTAH was ultimately assisted by another member of the mosque who observed these activities and accompanied him outside, away from his aggressors.
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Letter to the Editor that was published in The Tulsa World on 29 October 2006:
By Jamal Miftah
I moved to the United States in March 2003, with my four kids and wife from Pakistan bordering Afghanistan. There was a call by a local jihadi organization to fight the coalition forces in Afghanistan. One of my dearest friends, Mirza Kohistani, fell prey to that call and joined the group, despite my advice and that of his wife to him.
All the leaders of that organization returned safely after the fall of the Taliban empire, but they left behind the body of my friend and hundreds of other innocent people like him.
I am obliged to respond to Ayman al-Zawahri's recent video message, portraying himself as champion of Islam and others as liars.
My message to Ayman al-Zawahri and Muslims of the world: "Islam" means submission and is derived from a word meaning "peace." Islam, Christianity and Judaism have the same origin, the Prophet Abraham. The prophet of Islam has said that God has no mercy on someone who does not have mercy for others.
I ask that al-Zawahri look at his deeds and those of his master, Osama bin Laden, and other so-called Islamic jihadists.
Because of lack of knowledge of Islam, Muslim youth are misguided into believing by the so-called champions of the cause of Islam that the current spate of killings and barbarism, which has no equal in the recent civilized history, is jihad in the name of Islam. They are incited, in the name of Islam, to commit heinous crimes not pardonable by any religion and strictly forbidden in Islam.
Cowards like al-Zawahri and bin Laden are inciting the ignorant and innocent youths to commit suicide bombings to kill innocent civilians including children, women and the elderly, while they hide in spider holes and caves. They never send their own sons and daughters, born out of half a dozen of their wives, to get killed in the name of Islam. They are themselves hypo crites, cowards, thugs and liars. For 12 years they misappropriated aid received from the U.S. and the West to fight Russia. Now they are ensuring smooth flow of petro dollars from Arab countries in the name of jihad against the West.
Even mosques and Islamic institutions in the U.S. and around the world have become tools in their hands and are used for collecting funds for their criminal acts. Half of the funds collected go into the pockets of their local agents and the rest are sent to these thugs.
They are the reason for branding the peaceful religion of Islam as terrorism. The result, therefore, is in the form of Danish cartoons and remarks/reference by the Pope.
I appeal to the Muslim youth in particular and Muslims of the world in general to rise up and start jihad against the killers of humanity and help the civilized world to bring these culprits to justice and prove that Islam is not a religion of hatred and aggression.
I appeal to the Muslim clerics around the world that, rather than issuing empty fatwas condemning suicide bombing, they should issue a fatwa for the death of such scoundrels and barbarians who have taken more than 4,267 lives of innocent people in the name of Islam and have carried out more than 24 terrorist attacks on civilian installations throughout the world. This does not include the chilling number of deaths because of such activities in Iraq and Afghanistan, which is well over 250,000.
I appeal to al-Zawahri and his band of thugs to hand themselves over to justice and stop spreading evil and killing innocent humans around the world in the name of Islam. Their time is limited and Muslims of the world will soon rise against them to apprehend them and bring them to justice.
I would be interested in how discovery is undertaken if this case presses forward.
Happens all the time in protestant denominations. Some guy puts up a public remark regarding something in his church, and the church reacts to the guy "putting the church's business" out in public.
It'd be the same if some lone-wolf Baptist published an article on how "nuts" pro-lifers are, then named a church, gave his real name, and outs himself as a member.
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Originally posted by MichaelC
Happens all the time in protestant denominations. Some guy puts up a public remark regarding something in his church, and the church reacts to the guy "putting the church's business" out in public.
It'd be the same if some lone-wolf Baptist published an article on how "nuts" pro-lifers are, then named a church, gave his real name, and outs himself as a member.
Strange thing about religion (no matter what religion it is), is it brings out the best out of people, but when it brings out the worst, look out!
C'mon, Michael C. The explanation can never be that simple. It would put the nutty conspiracy theorists out of business.
It's a he-said-they-said situation in which no one will ever really find the truth.
And as for Islam, well, freedom of religion and all, but the moment they start getting all hardcore, it's time to keep an eye on them no matter where they are in the world.
Keeping an eye on Islam is one thing. Blowing everything out of proportion to satisfy ones bigotry is another. This thread smells like the latter.
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Originally posted by MichaelC
Blowing everything out of proportion to satisfy ones bigotry is another.
It's hardly bigotry from whence I speak. There are extremist elements in the Christian world too, who are just as frightening in their ideology and practices.
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Originally posted by mr.jaynes
It's hardly bigotry from whence I speak. There are extremist elements in the Christian world too, who are just as frightening in their ideology and practices.
I agree.
And I wasn't referring to you. I don't like naming names, but this thread is typical for jamesrage or guido911.
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Originally posted by MichaelC
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Originally posted by mr.jaynes
It's hardly bigotry from whence I speak. There are extremist elements in the Christian world too, who are just as frightening in their ideology and practices.
I agree.
And I wasn't referring to you. I don't like naming names, but this thread is typical for jamesrage or guido911.
Fair enough.
With that in mind, The Islamists with their extremism and the uber-Fundamentalist Protestant Extremistss here (such as Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Posse, as well as Operation Rescue and their ilk), nobody is safe anymore-unless one either agrees with their agendas or is cowed into silence. I'm not anti-Christian or anti-religion here. Just anti-extremism in the name of religion.
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Originally posted by MichaelC
And I wasn't referring to you. I don't like naming names, but this thread is typical for jamesrage or guido911.
Typical? I haven't done any bigoted threads.
I like that fact that during a gay-rights march in Jerusalem, the ultra-Orthodox Jews and militant imams were joining forces, trying to start violence against those horrible ho-mo-sex-shulls.
That's what I call putting the fun in fundamentalism. Extremists deserve each other.
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Originally posted by rwarn17588
I like that fact that during a gay-rights march in Jerusalem, the ultra-Orthodox Jews and militant imams were joining forces, trying to start violence against those horrible ho-mo-sex-shulls.
That's what I call putting the fun in fundamentalism. Extremists deserve each other.
A gay parade in Jerusalem is offensive to religious people just as a nambla/namgla parade in front your child's school is offensive to you.Of course atheist and fake religious people will claim oh thats just nonsense and how dare you make a comparison of such sexual preferences.
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Originally posted by jamesrage
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Originally posted by rwarn17588
I like that fact that during a gay-rights march in Jerusalem, the ultra-Orthodox Jews and militant imams were joining forces, trying to start violence against those horrible ho-mo-sex-shulls.
That's what I call putting the fun in fundamentalism. Extremists deserve each other.
A gay parade in Jerusalem is offensive to religious people just as a nambla/namgla parade in front your child's school is offensive to you.Of course atheist and fake religious people will claim oh thats just nonsense and how dare you make a comparison of such sexual preferences.
Comparing homosexuals to pedophiles.. That's old school homophobia man, got anything better?
I went to New Orleans a few years back with a couple guys and a couple gals. One of the guys wouldn't go near anything that resembled a gay locale, the other guy was literally afraid of clowns, including mimes. It was a phobia festival.
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Originally posted by MichaelC
I went to New Orleans a few years back with a couple guys and a couple gals. One of the guys wouldn't go near anything that resembled a gay locale, the other guy was literally afraid of clowns, including mimes. It was a phobia festival.
Innocents abroad, huh?
I was born in New Orleans (left there as a child), visited every summer and on holidays, even went back there to live and go to college (and was there over this past Memorial Day weekend). I love everything about the city.
A suggestion to you: don't just hang out in the Quarter, but also go where we locals go if you want to take in the full experience. There's more to it than just what you read about in a tourist handbook.
I need to go back sometime soon. We spent entirely too much time in the French Quarter. Didn't see enough of the neighborhoods, swamps, plantations. I don't think I'd spend much time in the Quarter if I went back.
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Originally posted by MichaelC
I need to go back sometime soon. We spent entirely too much time in the French Quarter. Didn't see enough of the neighborhoods, swamps, plantations. I don't think I'd spend much time in the Quarter if I went back.
And I hope to see you there.
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Originally posted by okiebybirth
Comparing homosexuals to pedophiles.. That's old school homophobia man, got anything better?
I am not comparing anything,I am just stating what people find offensive and trying to put it into perspective.
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Originally posted by jamesrage
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Originally posted by okiebybirth
Comparing homosexuals to pedophiles.. That's old school homophobia man, got anything better?
I am not comparing anything,I am just stating what people find offensive and trying to put it into perspective.
Well, it's offensive all right, regardless of the perspective.