by Ben Berwick

Hearts Break Again

France is a wounded nation. In the past 18 months they’ve borne the brunt of Daesh’s attacks on European soil. If the latest act of terrorism in Nice last night is confirmed to be carried out by IS, or by someone sympathetic to IS, it marks the third such attack in that time.

The timing of the attack (coming on Bastille Day, the French equivalent of Independence Day) has to be deliberate. The aim is clear – Daesh are desperate to break French resolve, and drum up support for their cause, in the wake of French support for air strikes against them in Syria and Iraq. What Daesh don’t realise is that no one is inclined to cow to acts of cowardice like these, and if anything, it will harden French resolve.

At times like this, two things will happen. Firstly, there will be people who declare that Islam is the enemy – with no caveats applied to that statement. They will tell us Islam is a bloodthirsty religion, committed to our destruction, and that it’s a scourge that needs to be dealt with. That these statements (and worse, any action taken as a result) might actually drive moderate Muslims into the arms of radicals doesn’t seem to occur to those who make such comments.

Secondly, there will be Muslims who speak out against Daesh, and condemn their actions, but they will also try to distance themselves from Daesh and suggest they’re not really Muslims – this is understandable in a way (they don’t want to be associated with them), but it’s also dishonest. Ignoring what drives Daesh will not help to stop them.

It must also be pointed out that IS target other Muslims on an almost routine basis. 300 people were killed in terrorist attacks in Baghdad recently – this barely raises a flicker on the news. It’s in everyone’s interests to come together – and declare in one voice that Daesh is not going to succeed. Their hate-fuelled philosophy has no place in this world. We will stand together with our Muslim brothers and sisters, our Christian brothers and sisters, and indeed anyone and everyone who opposes them.

48 thoughts on “Hearts Break Again”

  1. Sadly self inflicted by allowing the enemy to immigrate to where you live. Your kindness will always be rewarded with this. It is written, and even the best of Muslims believe Islam must advance until all the world submits to Allah.

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    1. Part of the problem is in an ‘us and them’ mentality. Regarding Muslims as ‘the enemy’ is one way this mentality is displayed. It won’t help anyone to take this approach, and will only marginalise moderate voices.

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      1. Then it would surprise you to hear that Islam is distinguished from the rest of the religions of the world as being ANTI-CHRISTIAN and ANTI-Jewish, Anti-Democratic to the extreme. For instance, the second most important prayer is “God is not a father and He has no Son.” Repeated 5 times a day . Islam is deeply “Us against them.” The Quran repeatedly says to hate, even kill Jews and Christians “wherever you find them. ”
        And 250 million people have been killed in the name of Islam in the last 1400 years.

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      3. Start with reading the Quran and Hadiths. You can search, “violent verses of the Quran ” and compare them to the same search results from any other religions. Look at context. Was the verse simply a record of a single event for historical reference, or an ongoing commandment ? This is important. Remember, the Bible has the New Testament. Love your enemy is the ultimate challenge to any who would call themselves Christian.
        Look at The Battle of Tours France, The walls around Vatican city, the Ottoman Empire, The Barbary Wars, when Islam first came to India, the reason why Thomas Jefferson created the U.S Navy and Marines, why Tripoli was enslaving our merchant sailors and enslaving them, who supplied the slave trade to the U.S. and Great Britain?
        And when you see the big picture, then these statistics will start to add up to you.

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      4. The Second War of Kappel was fought exclusively among Christians (Protestants against Catholics). The Sudanese Civil Wars were between Muslims and Christians (the involvement of Muslims does not absolve Christians of responsibility). There was the German Peasant’s War, fought exclusively between different branches of Christianity. There was the French Wars of Religion, again fought exclusively between Christians. The Thirty Years War and the Eighty Years War were also fought exclusively among Christians. These conflicts are among the most violent religiously-motivated wars on record. If we see the ‘big picture’, then I am reminded of that famous saying, ‘let he who is without sin cast the first stone’.

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      6. Even if that’s true, it doesn’t mean Christianity is not a bloodthirsty religion in its own right. I forgot to add the Troubles of Northern Ireland to that list as well – and let’s not forget Hitler’s beliefs and the part they played in the Holocaust.

        So we can play this game, and highlight the tragedies that both religions are responsible for, and we tar people with the same brush, and see where it leads us. However, that’s not why this site exists. There are over 1 billion Muslims in this world and I will not paint a broad picture of them in the manner you are doing.

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      7. You can’t find “strike the necks of the infidels” in the Bible. It is a command in the Quran for Muslims even today.
        You won’t find commands to “strike terror in unbelievers ” or commands to rape, pillage, poison, or plunder others in the Bible as an ONGOING COMMANDMENT. Any violence in the O.T. was for that one time only. Stoning stopped in the New Testament through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice. He paid our sin debts. In Islam, the Muslim’s good deeds must outweigh thier bad deeds. Killing for Allah gets a person a free pass to heaven according to the Quran. You won’t find the God of the Bible commanding you to kill for Him, because He became a man and died for you. Life is offered to any who ask of thier own free will. Islam commands unconditional submission, regardless of what you want. Look into these things for yourself. But I warn you, the Hadiths will truly shock you, as will the Quran.

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      8. I would strongly suggest you check out Blogging Theology for a better understanding of Islam. Even that would be to go beyond the point I am trying to make here though, for you misunderstand what we are trying to do.

        We won’t tar entire communities and cultures with the same broad brush strokes. We take people as individuals, which appears to be something you are unwilling to do. Whilst you’re looking at Blogging Theology, I would also recommend No Beliefs, and you may also want to read Christianity and War.

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      11. You’re Muslim you know what I mean by that. You want to pretend impartial and you are Muslim. You’re practicing the same deception that the Quran says to say and to do to lie for the sake of Islam and that is what you do. Muhammad was a pedophile and a liar and I love does not exist in the Quran is a compilation of notes or several people and is not a perfect work at all it is a book of lies and deception of the most evil order this world has ever seen straight from Satan

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      12. People twist the words of every religious text, including the Bible, which is used to preach hatred by several groups. Also, who said that the blog’s author is Muslim?? You’re really jumping to conclusions & promoting that same hatred of which you accuse an entire religion. Have you READ the Qu’ran or are you just spewing talking points from a website?

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      14. I’m not a Muslim. I don’t know if I identify as a Christian either for that matter. It is a truism that both religions have shed a lot of blood. You cannot deny this.

        What is equally true is that it’s unfair to paint the broad brushstrokes in the fashion you are doing. I do not condemn the followers of any belief system because of the actions of a few. Such an action is counter-productive and will only encourage marginalisation and radicalism. I prefer to treat people as individuals.

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      15. All you have to do is compare the Life of Christ and what he said to life of Muhammad the pedophile and what he said Case Closed any Bloodshed in the name of Christianity was a violation of the life teachings of Jesus Christ any Bloodshed in the name of Islam is exactly what Muhammad did and taught.

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      16. There are 1 billion Muslims in this world. They are not all the same. You would assume them to be all the same. Mass stereotyping is a dangerous philosophy that will spectacularly backfire. My suggestion is that you consider any further responses with that in mind.

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      18. Non-sequiteur. You are setting up conditions to apply and justify your mass stereotyping. This is the point I have been making. We can play tit-for-tat all night about killings in the name of . You are playing with semantics.

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      19. You say you know the religion you are condoning. Show us the verses from the Quran that support what I say. I could do it, but you would simply DISMISS AND GLOSS OVER the obvious meanings of them.

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      20. I don’t ‘condone’ anything. I merely don’t tar everyone who follows any faith with the same brush. Your dismissal of violence in the name of Christianity could be taken as an attempt to gloss that over, and I could use violence in Christianity to paint the same broad strokes you employ. Would that be fair?

        If this conversation is going to end up following a circular pattern, then it will end. I leave whether that happens to you.

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      23. What I can’t get over, is that in light of the Bastille Day massacre and all the others during Ramadan, how anyone could write anything in support of Islam WITHOUT CONDEMNATION for the wickedness done in the name of Islam!
        You are either a very insensitive selfish person, or a minion for evil ,a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

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      24. What you want is for condemnation of Islam, and now you’re trying to insinuate that I don’t care about the loss of life. The dramatic increase in your rhetoric and beligerance does not impress me – instead I am found wondering if this is the sort of behaviour a good Christian should be indulging in.

        Since you are refusing to understand the theme of this site, and since you are insisting on blanket stereotypes, you will not be permitted to comment here any longer, unless I let your comments through. Whether that happens depends entirely upon what you say.

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      26. Wrong. You were aggressive and needlessly so. You dared to accuse me, in a roundabout way, of supporting terrorism, unless I condemn 1 billion people. Nothing about that is being a good Christian.

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      29. A Muslim can be someone from any race who has chosen to adopt the ideology of Islam or as in most cases was born into it and told they do not have a choice and will be killed if they leave and choose his or her own belief.

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      32. They are in the news just this week women in Sweden are being warned with Flyers turning up by the thousands everywhere that if they are caught in public without a headscarf they are at risk of being raped? I’m baffled that you can be so oblivious to these things by accident and unaware S2 saying I could about such an ideology these are not corrupted doctrines these are the doctrines as they read in the Quran and the Hadith.

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      33. So I guess you missed *All of the Facts* on the case? The perpetrator wasn’t affiliated with any mosque. In fact, last Ramadan he was drinking and partying in his apartment to the dismay of his Muslim neighbours. All the evidence points to someone who was disturbed. His doctor in Tunisia says he had psychotic episodes which included auditory hallucinations.
        The wickedness here is bearing false witness by wrongly attributing blame. And for that you should be ashamed.

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      36. The Life of Muhammed by Musli Historian Ibn Ishaq 768a.d.

        Islam is NOT a religion of peace! Recommended reading “The Life of Muhammad” written by the Muslim historian Ibn Ishaq in 768 AD. The book gives an accurate picture of Muhammad… The very violent and aggressive military commander who fought and killed neighboring tribes into submission.

        One book reviewer writes:

        “Ishaq provides details identifying names of both Muslims and Non-Muslims in multiple engagements, sequencing and phasing of the fighting characterizing various attacks, description, background and narratives of specifically targeted assassination raids, and of the murders of other raid and expedition survivors. For example, the attack on B.Fazara resulted in the capture of Umm Qirfa Fatima d. Rabi’a b. Badr. “She was a very old woman, wife of Malik.” And she was murdered “by putting a rope to her two legs and to two camels and driving until they rent her in two (p. 665). Muhammad’s piecemeal, leisurely, butchery of between 600 – 900 survivors of the raid on B. Qurayza is described on page 464 and the parceling of the Qurayza property, women and (36) horses among the Muslims is described on page 466.”

        “Contained in each of these descriptions are examples of the planning, execution, discipline and tactics that should be of interest to modern day analysts who are confronted by actors modeling themselves on the examples of Mohammad and his followers”

        “Whether one is evaluating Mohammad as a self proclaimed prophet, military or diplomatic leader, this particular book is an essential source for analysts and researchers who need the best practical historical record.”

        http://wikiislam.net/wiki/The_Story_of_Umm_Qirfa

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      39. Let’s talk about something I’m very passionate about let’s talk about the UK and the 85 Sharia courts we have . Here in England most of us have heard of or have some understanding of Sharia Courts, for those who don’t know what a Sharia court is a religious legal system which exists alongside and sometimes above British law. These religious laws are normally decided by Imam, who are men selected from the community with Sunni Muslims or clergymen selected for Shi’ite Muslims.

        These courts generally make decisions on religion, marriage, finance and sometimes even decide on the punishments for crimes committed by Muslims. The rules presented by the Quran and Haddith are considered infallible by most Muslims, as they were created by the words and actions of the prophet Muhammad, who forbade anyone from depicting him.

        The Sharia courts that exist in the UK are unregulated, extrajudicial and the British government has made minimal efforts to control the religious laws that can imprison unhappy and abused women in toxic, unhealthy and sometimes violent relationships as the Court has to issue a divorce certificate before the Mosque recognises the divorce, which the Quran disagrees with.

        I pulled a list of key rules from a anti Islam website to demonstrate what the Sharia laws really encourage i will leave the list at the bottom. Keep in mind that only some of these rules are practised in the UK.  The link for this list is here bare in mind that this site has some graphic content, credit for the list obviously goes to them.

        1- Jihad, defined as “to war against non-Muslims to establish the religion,” is the duty of every Muslim and Muslim head of state (Caliph). Muslim Caliphs who refuse jihad are in violation of Sharia and unfit to rule.

        2- A Caliph can hold office through seizure of power meaning through force.

        3- A Caliph is exempt from being charged with serious crimes such as murder, adultery, robbery, theft, drinking and in some cases of rape.

        4- A percentage of Zakat (charity money) must go towards jihad.

        5- It is obligatory to obey the commands of the Caliph, even if he is unjust.
        A Muslim woman receiving Sharia justice. She is about to be stoned to death.

        6- A caliph must be a Muslim, a non-slave and a male.

        7- The Muslim public must remove the Caliph if he rejects Islam.

        8- A Muslim who leaves Islam must be killed immediately.

        9- A Muslim will be forgiven for murder of: 1) an apostate 2) an adulterer 3) a highway robber. Vigilante street justice and honor killing is acceptable.

        10- A Muslim will not get the death penalty if he kills a non-Muslim, but will get it for killing a Muslim.

        11- Sharia never abolished slavery, sexual slavery and highly regulates it. A master will not be punished for killing his slave.

        12- Sharia dictates death by stoning, beheading, amputation of limbs, flogging even for crimes of sin such as adultery.
        A Muslim man receiving Sharia justice – a public flogging which more than likely killed him.

        13- Non-Muslims are not equal to Muslims under the law. They must comply to Islamic law if they are to remain safe. They are forbidden to marry Muslim women, publicly display wine or pork, recite their scriptures or openly celebrate their religious holidays or funerals. They are forbidden from building new churches or building them higher than mosques. They may not enter a mosque without permission. A non-Muslim is no longer protected if he leads a Muslim away from Islam.

        14- It is a crime for a non-Muslim to sell weapons to someone who will use them against Muslims. Non-Muslims cannot curse a Muslim, say anything derogatory about Allah, the Prophet, or Islam, or expose the weak points of Muslims. But Muslims can curse non-Muslims.

        15- A non-Muslim cannot inherit from a Muslim.

        16- Banks must be Sharia compliant and interest is not allowed.
        A young boy in Iran got caught stealing bread in a market, and this was his punishment…
        …having his hand crushed under the wheel of a moving truck….
        Is this “justice” to you? Or is it barbaric cruelty? You will notice the man with the microphone on the right, holding the boy’s arm in place while the truck rides over it.
        17- No testimony in court is acceptable from people of low-level jobs, such as street sweepers or bathhouse attendants. Women in low-level jobs such as professional funeral mourners cannot keep custody of their children in case of divorce.

        18- A non-Muslim cannot rule — even over a non-Muslim minority.
        19- Homosexuality is punishable by death.

        20- There is no age limit for marriage of girls. The marriage contract can take place anytime after birth and can be consummated at age 8 or 9.

        21- Rebelliousness on the part of the wife nullifies the husband’s obligation to support her, gives him permission to beat her and keep her from leaving the home.
        Women who live under Sharia law are not much more than a possession, bound and hidden behind a head to toe mask.

        22- Divorce is only in the hands of the husband and is as easy as saying: “I divorce you” and becomes effective even if the husband did not intend it.

        23- There is no community property between husband and wife and the husband’s property does not automatically go to the wife after his death.

        24- A woman inherits half what a man inherits.

        25- A man has the right to have up to 4 wives and none of them have a right to divorce him — even if he is polygamous.
        26- The dowry is given in exchange for the woman’s sexual organs.

        27- A man is allowed to have sex with slave women and women captured in battle, and if the enslaved woman is married her marriage is annulled.

        28- The testimony of a woman in court is half the value of a man.

        29- A woman loses custody if she remarries.

        30- To prove rape, a woman must have 4 male witnesses.
        Islam is not looking for acceptance, they are looking for dominance.

        31- A rapist may only be required to pay the bride-money (dowry) without marrying the rape victim.

        32- A Muslim woman must cover every inch of her body, which is considered “Awrah,” a sexual organ. Not all Sharia schools allow the face of a woman exposed.

        33- A Muslim man is forgiven if he kills his wife at the time he caught her in the act of adultery. However, the opposite is not true for women, since the man “could be married to the woman he was caught with.”

        34-It is obligatory for a Muslim to lie if the purpose is obligatory. That means that for the sake of abiding with Islam’s commandments, such as jihad, a Muslim is obliged to lie and should not have any feelings of guilt or shame associated with this kind of lying. source – WND – Nonie Darwish

        After reading those laws you cannot avoid the conclusion that if the immoral people, extremists or religious zealots that Islam certainly  manufacturers, if only the minority, are allowed to keep pushing for the laws of their religion to be enforced in their community then we will certainly see much more blood in on our streets.

        As a conclusion the British government will stand down until it’s too late. As a secular country we must stand against all forms of religious oppression, especially those that can affect people who do not hold their beliefs at all. Islam is not a religion of peace, no religion that mutilates young girls, enslaves heretics and throws gay men to their death, deserves the title of “peaceful religion”.

        Thank you for reading and Follow us on twitter so you never miss an update.

        @TokayandMonito

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      41. Read this and see how you feel. The Sharia law issue has the support of almost 80% of Muslims, and it would surprise you, as it did me, that All sects of Islam believe in honor killings, though only 500 a year go through with it in Pakistan and about 30 confirmed per year in the USA.

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  2. I’m disappointed by the anger/fear-mongering comments you received here, & their stunning ignorance. According to Mankind: The History of Us (produced by The History Channel), early Muslim culture was a huge boon to humanity. They developed the early basis for many secular laws, even though they were distinctly tied to religion in those times, created great artistic masterpieces, provided state-sponsored education programs, & were reasonably tolerant to other religions (although, yes, there were situations involving enslaving members of non-Muslim religions). However, after the Papal decree in 1045 or so, the start of 400-500 years of Christian “Crusades,” & the sacking of the Muslim epicenter in Constantinople, it’s possible that there were some soured feelings towards members of other religions.

    What really needs to be understood is that fear, hate, terror, & violence, merely beget more of the same b/c people feel justified. It’s a cycle that will just continue on if we don’t take a hard look at what we’ve done (historically, & by “we” I mean whomever is reading this & who has read up on their history) & doing the hard work required to mend fences instead of putting them up even higher.

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