Responding to David J. Baldovin, Lynchburg “In their own words” – Quoting the Quran.

Dear Mr. David J. Baldovin,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on your article that is shown on tullahomanews.com. I would like to take a moment to respond to your comments in the hope you we can build a better understanding between us.

I am not representing CAIR, they can represent themselves. I will, however, respond to the verses you picked out of the Qur’aan (Koran, Quran) and offer some clarity from an American Muslim perspective. Your comments will be in quotes, mine will be below your quotes for clarity so that our respective readers can see both of our views.

Ignorance is or can be a debilitating malady. It is a shame that, for some, those electrical impulses can’t quite seem to properly make their way across the synapses. Some apparently do not have the ability to add 2+2? One’s self-proclaimed enemy cannot be your “friend.” War includes the art of deception.

I’m with you so far. Good preliminary arguments.

Quote from a court document known as “An Explanatory Memorandum,” entered into evidence in the Holy Land Foundation trial. “The process of settlement is a ‘Civilization-Jihadist Process’ with all the word means. The Ikhwan [Muslim Brotherhood] must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and “sabotaging” its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God’s religion is made victorious over all other religions.”

I’m vaguely familiar with the views of Ikhwan [Muslim Brotherhood] but as an American Muslim, I’m more focused about building bridges of understanding among all peoples, as best as humanly possible.

Quote from the Koran: Chapter 3, verse 28-“Let not the believers take for friends or helpers unbelievers (infidels).”

Perhaps this is Ikhwan’s view, but let’s not take any verse out of the Qur’aan out of context as it would be a disservice to your stated intellectual thoughts mentioned in your first statement “Some apparently do not have the ability to add 2+2? “

Let’s take the verse from the Qur’aan 3:28 and understand it through the context in which it was revealed.

The Qur’ānic instruction of not taking the unbelievers as friends must be carefully analyzed and understood in the context of the circumstance under which the verse was revealed. The verse and chapter was revealed in 3 A.H./625 C.E. after the battle of Badr and Uhud when the Muslims were in a state of confrontation with the unbelievers. Keeping this backdrop in mind, whenever conditions are hostile, people of other faiths that are the explicit cause of the hostility cannot be trusted to uphold the interest of the Muslims.

According to Rāghib, the key word wali (Pl. auliya) commonly understood to be ‘friend’, ‘a close person’, ‘an executor’, ‘a guardian’ etc. refers to nearness or friendship with respect to help and belief.

Under such circumstance if someone makes alliance or friendship with the enemies, then they are on their own, God would not protect them. The message of this verse does not apply to casual friendship, such as all peaceful people, whether they are our neighbors, friends at work or school, etc.

To make that point very clear, God says in the same Qur’aan in chapter

Quran: 60:8 Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes – from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.
Quran: 60:9 Allah only forbids you from those who fight you because of religion and expel you from your homes and aid in your expulsion – [forbids] that you make allies of them. And whoever makes allies of them, then it is those who are the wrongdoers.

Seeing that the above is as clear as 2+2, I hope that helps clarify the position of the majority of Muslims throughout the world. All Muslims? I cannot speak for all Muslims, however, if I’m to go on the premise of your 2+2 analogy, I would have to conclude the majority of Muslims understand that they are to treat everyone in a righteous manner. Obviously, as verse 60:9 clarifies, if the enemies of Muslims want to fight them, they have the right to defend themselves.

Quote from the Koran: Chapter 2, verse 193-“and engage in war with them until there be no sedition and the religion be to Allah.”

Both Muslim and non-Muslim scholars show that this verse was revealed at a time when the Muslims were being persecuted by the Quraish. The scholars pointed out that the Arabic word ‘fitna’ used for the verse means, ‘persecution’, and ‘oppression’ i.e., that the verse showed Muslims who were being persecuted for their beliefs, that they were allowed to fight back against the oppressors. To end the persecution and let man be free to practice their religion without interference from anyone.

Let us read (again, I stress the concept of context here) from 2:190 – 195 to get a better understanding of the verses:

Quran: 2:190 – Fight in the way of God those who fight you but do not transgress. Indeed. Allah does not like transgressors.
Quran: 2:191 – And kill them wherever you overtake them and expel them from wherever they have expelled you, and fitnah is worse than killing. And do not fight them at al-Masjid al- Haram until they fight you there. But if they fight you, then kill them. Such is the recompense of the disbelievers.

Quran: 2:192 – And if they cease, then indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.

Quran: 2:193 – Fight them until there is no [more] fitnah and [until] worship is [acknowledged to be] for Allah. But if they cease, then there is to be no aggression except against the oppressors.

Quran: 2:194 – [Fighting in] the sacred month is for [aggression committed in] the sacred month, and for [all] violations is legal retribution. So whoever has assaulted you, then assault him in the same way that he has assaulted you. And fear Allah and know that Allah is with those who fear Him.

Quran: 2:195 – And spend in the way of Allah and do not throw [yourselves] with your [own] hands into destruction [by refraining]. And do good; indeed, Allah loves the doers of good.

CAIR, (the Council of American Islamic Relations), is self described and reported by those who are unaware as an “advocacy group.” CAIR is an unindicted co-conspirator in the FBI case referenced above. It is a front for the Muslim Brotherhood, and Hamas, a terrorist organization. They are performing the deception and lying which is obligatory for “devout” Muslims. So we have the deceiver, and those who prefer to be willingly deceived.

I’ll let CAIR can defend itself. It’s quite baffling though as to why all of the security agencies in the USA would allow this organization to exist if it was indeed a front group for Hamas or the Muslim Brotherhood (again, using your 2+2 analogy). It doesn’t make much sense to me.

The Koran tells us that Allah is the best deceiver-3:54, “and Allah is the best of schemers” (al-makireen, deception).

Interestingly enough, I looked up 5 English translations of the Qur’aan and couldn’t find that any reference of that verse saying “deceiver” in any of these translations. Maybe you have a specific translation of the Qur’aan you want to share with me that mentioned the word “deceiver”?

Here are the 5 translations (not one of them had the word “deceiver”.

Let’s dive into this verse also.

Transliteration: Wamakaroo wamakara Allahu waAllahu khayru almakireena

Translation:
“And the disbelievers planned, but Allah planned. And Allah is the best of planners.” – Quran 3:54

The historical background for the verse is that the Jews ‘planned’ evil in order to get Jesus arrested and crucified. And Allah in the verse says as they planned evil, so too Allaah planned to thwart their plan. Christian missionaries have an issue with the words used for both the Jews and Allah. They prefer to translate this way: “and [they] deceived and Allah deceived and Allah is the best of deceivers”. Perhaps there’s a reason why they’re doing this specific translation of the word “deceiver” and not using the translations mentioned above? I don’t know.

The above quotes are their words, not mine. So, one can choose to use Common Core math, (choose  to remain willingly deceived) if you like. But for me, 2+2=4.

I agree, let’s use the Common Core math principle as you outlined.  The majority of Muslims says 2+2=4 indeed.  

As an American Muslim, I would hope you choose your words wisely in the future because there are Muslims who love and serve this country (USA), some have even given our lives in defending it. Surely, as with all faiths or those who lack any, there are very bad people in them.  We all should recognize that those few do not ever represent the majority. 

Peace to you.

Omar Ali