Matthew 7:20 "Yes, the way to identify a tree or a person is by the kind of fruit that is produced."
Galatians 5:22 "But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, He will produce this
kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law."
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How Do They Hate Thee? Let Them Count the Ways . . . 
How About, Ummm, Twenty?
Israel - Middle East
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Jack Kinsella I have been studying the Koran and the background story of Islam as it relates to the West since long before the majority in the West had begun to realize the threat fundamental Islam poses to the non-Islamic world.
It first got my attention during the OPEC crisis that accompanied the Yom Kippur War in 1973. That was when I came to realize that Islam is as much political as it is religious, making it a doubly-potent threat.
The Framers of the Constitution recognized the danger posed by a theocratic government, which is why they included the provision prohibiting Congress from establishing a state religion.
Often (and incorrectly) called the 'separation' clause; the relevant part of the 1st Amendment says that the "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. . ."
We won't go into the extremist interpretation of it as now applied by an activist judiciary, that's for another topic. The reason that the Framers included that clause was because they recognized the danger inherent in any form of government that presumed to speak for God.
There is no more deadly form of government than a theocracy. That is why I thank the Lord we don't have a president who makes decisions based on his understanding of the Bible.
I want a president who has the spiritual integrity of a Christian, one who trusts God and believes the Scriptures, but I don't want him governing according to his interpretation of Scripture.
Scripture is infallible, men are not. George Bush's understanding of the Bible is not the same as mine. I sure don't want him making decisions based on the Methodist view of Bible prophecy and Israel.
The Koran is somewhat different, in that it authorizes its clerics to be infallible and speak on Allah's behalf via the issuance of a fatwa, or cleric's ruling.
Hence, Osama bin Laden's fatwa of jihad against the United States and Israel has the infallibility of Allah to those who follow Osama.
Iran's Islamic Republic is a theocracy. It is ruled by clerics who also are authorized to speak for Allah. One famous example is Iran's fatwa ordering the death of British author Salman Rushdie for blasphemy following the publication of his book, "The Satanic Verses."
Iranian government agents fanned out across Europe to kill him. Scotland Yard has been hiding Rushdie for almost twenty years, now.
The United States is not a theocracy -- by design -- although it is known universally as 'the world's most Christian' nation. Israel, interestingly enough, is ALSO not a theocracy, again by design, although it is the world's ONLY Jewish nation.
Judaism is the state religion of Israel, but Israel is governed as a secular state. Its clerics have no binding authority over Israel's government.
Paradoxically, the fact that the world's most Christian nation and the world's only Jewish nations are NOT governed as theocracies is what gives Islam its strategic edge.
Islam, even five years after 9/11, remains a mystery to the Western mind. George Bush apparently is convinced, for example, that Islam is a religion of peace and love that has been perverted by a minority of its adherents, whom he terms, oddly enough, 'fundamentalists'.
It is so mysterious to the Western mind that it evidently makes it somewhat loopy. How can the 'fundamentals' of a religion of 'peace and love' simultaneously form the basic doctrine of Islamic terrorism?
If the 'fundamentals' of a religion are death and destruction, how is it possible that it is, as practiced by the majority of its adherents, a religion of 'peace and love'?
It is this loopy Western understanding of Islam that makes the members of the international 'Quartet' believe they can impose their 'road map to peace' on Israel and the Palestinians and eventually bring about peace.
The Palestinian 'people' are an Islamic construct not found in history. Prior to 1967, the Arabs now called the Palestinian people were citizens of Jordan or Egypt.
If there is a Palestinian 'people' -- they would be Jordanian. Jordan's population is 80% 'Palestinian' and different from those 'Palestinians' on the West Bank only in that they live on the other side of the Jordan River.
The 'Palestinian people' are motivated, not by aspirations to statehood, but by religious hatred of Israel and the Islamic goal of Israel's destruction and the imposition of an Islamic state in its place.
No imposed peace, or grant of statehood will bring peace to Israel. The Western mind doesn't fully grasp the meaning of the sentence, "The goal is not an Islamic Palestinian state BESIDE Israel, it is an Islamic Palestinian State INSTEAD of Israel."
The following are a few excerpts from a Q&A session from Islam Online's fatwa database.
The question was, "What, according to the Koran, are the main characteristics and qualities of the Jews?"
The answer began with a quote from a fatwa issued by Sheikh `Atiyyah Saqr, former Head of Al-Azhar Fatwa Committee, in which he states the following:
"The Quran has specified a considerable deal of its verses to talking about Jews, their personal qualities and characteristics. THE QURANIC DESCRIPTION OF JEWS IS QUITE IMPARTIAL; [emphasis mine] praising them in some occasions where they deserve praise and condemning them in other occasions where they practice blameworthy acts. Yet, the latter occasions outnumbered the former, due to their bad qualities and the heinous acts they used to commit. The Quran praises them on the verse that re ads: And verily We gave the Children of Israel the Scripture and the Command and the Prophethood, and provided them with good things and favored them above (all) peoples. (Al-Jathiyah:16) i.e. the peoples of their time."
The 'impartial Koranic' view of the Jews as understood by mainstream Islam is divided into the 'good' and 'the bad'. On the 'good' side . . . well, that was all the 'Sheikh' had to say. On the bad side, however, the Koran's 'quite impartial' evaluation of the Jews included TWENTY 'bad' characteristics.
I'll summarize the list, and I'll post a link to the actual fatwa posted on the website version of today's OL for those who want to investigate it more deeply. But this is the evaluation of the Jews, as viewed by the Koran, the wellspring of the Islamic mainstream religion of 'peace and love':
1. They used to fabricate things and falsely ascribe them to Allah. Allah Almighty says: “ That is because they say: We have no duty to the Gentiles. They speak a lie concerning Allah knowingly.” (Al-`Imran:75) Also: “The Jews say: Allah's hand is fettered. Their hands are fettered and they are accursed for saying so. Nay, but both His hands are spread out wide in bounty. He bestoweth as He will.” (Al-Ma`idah:64)
In another verse Almighty Allah says: “Verily Allah heard the saying of those who said, (when asked for contributions to the war): "Allah, forsooth, is poor, and we are rich! We shall record their saying with their slaying of the Prophets wrongfully and We shall say: Taste ye the punishment of burning!” (Al-`Imran:181)
2. They love to listen to lies. Concerning this Allah says: “and of the Jews: listeners for the sake of falsehood, listeners on behalf of other folk” (Al-Ma’idah: 41)
3. Disobeying Almighty Allah and never observing His commands. Allah says: “And because of their breaking their covenant, We have cursed them and made hard their hearts.” (Al-Ma’idah: 13)
4. Disputing and quarreling. This is clear in the verse that reads: “Their Prophet said unto them: Lo! Allah hath raised up Saul to be a king for you. They said: How can he have kingdom over us when we are more deserving of the kingdom than he is, since he hath not been given wealth enough?” (Al-Baqarah: 247)
5. Hiding the truth and standing for misleading. This can be understood from the verse that reads: “…distort the Scripture with their tongues, that ye may think that what they say is from the Scripture, when it is not from the Scripture.” (Al-`Imran: 78)
6. Staging rebellion against the Prophets and rejecting their guidance. This is clear in the verse: “And when ye said: O Moses! We will not believe in thee till we see Allah plainly.” (Al-Baqarah: 55)
7. Hypocrisy. In a verse, we read: “And when they fall in with those who believe, they say: We believe; but when they go apart to their devils they declare: Lo! we are with you; verily we did but mock.” (Al-Baqarah: 14) In another verse, we read: “Enjoin ye righteousness upon mankind while ye yourselves forget (to practice it)? And ye are readers of the Scripture! Have ye then no sense?” (Al-Baqarah: 44)
8. Giving preference to their own interests over the rulings of religion and the dictates of truth. Allah says: “…when there cometh unto you a messenger (from Allah) with that which ye yourselves desire not, ye grow arrogant, and some ye disbelieve and some ye slay?” (Al-Baqarah: 87)
9. Wishing evil for people and trying to mislead them. This is clear in the verse that reads: “Many of the People of the Scripture long to make you disbelievers after your belief, through envy on their own account, after the truth hath become manifest unto them.” (Al-Baqarah: 109)
10. They feel pain to see others in happiness and are gleeful when others are afflicted with a calamity. This is clear in the verse that reads: “If a lucky chance befall you, it is evil unto them, and if disaster strike you they rejoice thereat.” (Al-`Imran:120)
11. They are known of their arrogance and haughtiness. They claimed to be the sons and of Allah and His beloved ones. Allah tells us about this in the verse that reads: “The Jews and Christians say: We are sons of Allah and His loved ones.” (Al-Ma’idah: 18)
12. Utilitarianism and opportunism are among their innate traits. This is clear in the verse that reads: “And of their taking usury when they were forbidden it, and of their devouring people's wealth by false pretences.” (An-Nisa’: 161)
13. Their impoliteness and indecent way of speech is beyond description. Referring to this, the Qur’anic verse reads: “Some of those who are Jews change words from their context and say: "We hear and disobey; hear thou as one who heareth not" and "Listen to us!" distorting with their tongues and slandering religion. If they had said: "We hear and we obey; hear thou, and look at us" it had been better for them, and more upright. But Allah hath cursed them for their disbelief, so they believe not, save a few.” (An-Nisa’:46)
14. It is easy for them to slay people and kill innocents. Nothing in the world is dear to their hearts than shedding blood and murdering human beings. They never give up this trait even with the Messengers and the Prophets. Allah says: “…and slew the prophets wrongfully.” (Al-Baqarah: 61)
15. They are merciless and heartless. In this meaning, the Qur’anic verse explains: “Then, even after that, your hearts were hardened and became as rocks, or worse than rocks, for hardness.” (Al-Baqarah: 74)
16. They never keep their promises or fulfill their words. Almighty Allah says: “Is it ever so that when ye make a covenant a party of you set it aside? The truth is, most of them believe not.” (Al-Baqarah: 100)
17. They rush hurriedly to sins and compete in transgression. Allah says: “They restrained not one another from the wickedness they did. Verily evil was that they used to do!” (Al-MA’idah:79)
18. Cowardice and their love for this worldly life are their undisputable traits. To this, the Qur’an refers when saying: “Ye are more awful as a fear in their bosoms than Allah. That is because they are a folk who understand not. They will not fight against you in a body save in fortified villages or from behind walls. Their adversity among themselves is very great. Ye think of them as a whole whereas their hearts are divers.” (Al-Hashr:13-14) Allah Almighty also says: “And thou wilt find them greediest of mankind for life and (greedier) than the idolaters.” (Al-Baqarah:96)
19. Miserliness runs deep in their hearts. Describing this, the Qur’an states: “Or have they even a share in the Sovereignty? Then in that case, they would not give mankind even the speck on a date stone.” (An-Nisa’:53)
20. Distorting Divine Revelation and Allah’s Sacred Books. Allah says in this regard: “Therefore woe be unto those who write the Scripture with their hands anthem say, "This is from Allah," that they may purchase a small gain therewith. Woe unto them for that their hands have written, and woe unto them for that they earn thereby.” (Al-Baqara: 79)
[Actually, these 20 traits fit Islam better.]
Had enough? Well, there's more. The Sheikh went on to say,
"After this clear explanation, we would like to note that these are but some of the most famous traits of the Jews as described in the Quran. They have revolted against the Divine ordinances, distorted what has been revealed to them and invented new teachings which, they claimed, were much more better than what has been recorded in the Torah."
These are "but some of the most famous" examples of the evils inherent in the Jewish race, according to this source of Islamic theological understanding.
The Sheikh concluded that, "All this gives us glad tidings of the coming victory of Muslims over them once Muslims stick to strong faith and belief in Allah and adopt the modern means of technology."
This is the mainstream understanding within Islam of the nature and character of the country that the Quartet believes can live side by side in peace with a new Islamic State of Palestine. If only Israel will just trust their security to the good intentions of the Palestinian Authority, and to the security guarantees offered Israel by impartial mediators like Russia, the United Nations, the United States and, last but not least, the European Union.
Like putting the wolves in charge of a herd of sheep.
Islam Online's "Jews as Depicted in the Qu'ran"
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Can you see the "fruits" of Islam? They are corrupt.
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