I just came across this video of prominent Islamic scholar Dr. Zakir Naik explaining why Islamic governments like Saudi Arabia must be allowed to build mosques in other countries but correctly bans that construction of a single church or temple in its own country. The reason is simple math: allowing churches into Saudi Arabia would be like hiring teachers who cannot do simple math.
What I love about this video is the combination of arrogance and ignorance. The reason, it turns out, is that Islam is the only true religion. Therefore, it is an outrage for other countries to restrict construction of mosques but it would be an equal outrage to expect Saudi Arabia to allow a single church in the Kingdom.
For his Christian counterpart, click here.
Begging the question that the Bible is any more historically accurate than the Koran. Neither are history books. They are collections of fairy tales and parables.
If you compare these two books: bible and Koran, you will find difference teachings between them. You will find that according to Koran and Hadaits, mohammed had more than 9 wives. He also got married with a girl named Aisha. She was 6 years old when got engaged with old guy named Mohammed when he was 53. And they made love when Aisha was 9 yr old.
And, you also will find so many historical mistakes in Koran. Moslems says son of Abraham was Ismail, but Jews and Christian says it was Isaac. Do you know who he was actually in the Koran? It doesn’t mention any name…
Koran also says that mother Mary, mother of Jesus (Isa) was the daughter of Aaron (Moses era)…
My fantasy is to lock Zakir Naik and some of those like him in a room with an equal number of our own, “I am the only one with the truth,” crazies like Franklin Graham, Pat Robertson, and John Hagee. We could perhaps solve two problems at once. I am sure such a gathering of intellectuals would quickly come to an agreement.
As a scientist who has studied mathematics extensively, I observe that it is mathematically correct to state as fact that 2+2 = 11. Knowing that I believe this, would Dr. Zakir Naik plausibly hire me as a competent teacher of mathematics?
Were I ever to speak in person with Dr. Zakir Naik, I would ask him an arithmetic question; I would ask him if it is true that 2+2 = 11 and were he to tell me that my arithmetic is untrue, I would tell him that I may be able to demonstrate my having a superior knowledge and understanding of mathematics than he has.
In trinary (base 3) mathematics, the Arabic numeral digits are 0, 1, and 2; and…
0+0 = 0
0+1 = 1
1+1 = 2
2+1 = 10
2+2 = 11
2+2+1 = 12
2+2+2 = 20
Quod erat demonstrandum.
In my copy of the N. J. Dawood English translation of The Koran, I find:
Sura 3:85, He that chooses a religion other than Islām, it will not be accepted from him and in the world to come he will surely be among the losers.
I have not chosen a religion other than Islām, neither do I expect to ever choose a religion other than Islām.
Existence has chosen the external circumstances of my life; allowing that I exist, nonetheless, I am not existence itself.
I presume that I have not been given the gift of being able to judge any person.
naush,
You perhaps should do a more careful reading of this site and you will find that the majority of posters (not all but a large number none-the-less) seriously question the validity of any religious belief … muslim, christian, jewish, druid, etc. Islam does not stand alone when it comes to questioning said validity.
It is a pity to see so many people being biased and making judgements about Islam without even knowing the religion and based on what a handful of power mongers are dictating the media to represent us as ! And alot of you have actually bought in to those gross stories. Why not google “UNDERSTANDING ISLAM” before having such preconceived ugly and hateful notions. And by the way, How many muslims do you know ?
Ban all 20,000 Churches all across 56 Muslim countries in response to western terrorist occupations, Than only western thugs will feel the pain.
@paula marie deubel: No, Sweden has not passed any law banning mosques. Switzerland however voted on a ban for minaretes, an architechtural detail on the mosque.
So, pretty please with sugar on top, if you are going to rant about Western double standards at least have the common courtesy to google the facts first. Thank you.
Mike, my statement was sloppy and I apologize for the lack of clarity. I was actually trying to make room for the effect that a reward system would have but that was actually not the main thrust of my contention. I got off on a mental tangent that served to muddy the water by narrowing the scope of my intent. My original sentence did not contain “and will possess immortality in paradise”. I tried to cover too many bases with an inappropriate brevity.
My original thought was that the simple belief that one has or can attain the favor of the ‘one true God’ is an empowerment to fanaticism. The mindset that allows a person to cloak their actions in the premise that the supreme architect of everything wants one to behave that way excuses, literally excuses for that person, every action taken that mere mortals (and their systems of law, if those laws differ from the religion of the perpetrator) would condemn.
It doesn’t even make a difference if the religion inspired actions are negative to a society. I’m thinking here about the kinds of civil disobedience associated with the Civil Rights movement.
“A life directing belief in a philosophy that dictates that one has the favor of the causal event of the universe and will possess immortality in paradise if one only believes and acts according to that belief is fanatical by its nature.”
LK,
Your assumption that this is the basis of all religious belief is not
really the case. With Judaism for instance (I’m not by the way arguing
the superiority of Jewish belief)there is no heavenly reward. Our purpose from a Jewish perspective is to make Earth a paradise here and now. While some later Jewish thinkers, no doubt motivated by Christian competition, have added on a possibility of resurrection, in truth there is no immortality offered. This is also true I believe for Buddhism, Confuscionism and others. As a deist I do believe in a creative force ordering the Universe, yet I can’t conceive of there being an afterlife logistically or logically.
I vote to put Sarah Palin in charge of all mosque building here and abroad. Wrap her in a veil, put a bow on her head, and send her to Riyadh. It would be a good will gesture from the people of America to Muslims around the world.
Mike S, we’re usually on the same side of an argument but this time not. Religion itself, all religion, is at fault. To say that it’s just the bad actions and leadership of a fanatical minority is flawed IMO. A life directing belief in a philosophy that dictates that one has the favor of the causal event of the universe and will possess immortality in paradise if one only believes and acts according to that belief is fanatical by its nature.
“… self-styleD…”
Now, why are we blaming the Swiss again? There’s a great mosque in Rome, the very heart of Christendom, according to Catholics. And yet, for the obscurantist and ignorant self-style scholar in the video above, this would never happen in Mecca. The Swiss got it right, in my book! And, BTW, I’m not religious!
It isn’t religion particularly but the fanatics who hijack it for their own personal issues that causes the problem. Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, etc. all have their fundamentalist elements that preach exceptional-ism and hatred. No
doubt many Islamic country’s are led to extremist religious philosophy, but then so are Christian countries and countries where other religions are in the majority. Fundamentalist Christians in the US are seriously seeking power and if they get it, they will create a society just as poisonous as that of the Saudi’s. The great irony of Iraq is that were destroyed the premier secular State in the Mid-East and the one that gave the most freedom to its’ women.
Jill, Amazing interview, thanks.
The Family (of ruling political elite’s ((their own characterization)) in Congress) has cultivated a Christian fundamentalist political agenda through Uganda’s top politicians since ’86 and returned that country to repressive dictatorship. Gee, I thought there were laws against Congresspeople conducting their own foreign policy. What a nest of vipers.
This should be the focus of a Congressional investigation or two.