I have done a thread like this in the past but there seems to be some members who maybe weren't here for that thread that speak a lot about Islam in a negative and bigotted way. So if you have something to say about Islam as a religion, that suggests it is any worse than say Chrsitianity, please do so here. That way I will try to answer your views on Islam and if I'm not able I'm sure another poster will.

So I invite you to put your views to the test of free debate.

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Trust me, I'm a socialist!

There's power in a factory,power in the land, power in the hand of the worker. But it all amounts to nothing if together we don't stand, there is power in a union.
The union forever defending our rights, down with the blackleg, workers unite. To our brothers and our sisters in many far off lands, there is power in a union.
Money speaks for money, the devil for his own. - Billy Bragg

Misconception number 1: Muhammad was a pedophile:

Both the Bukhari and the Muslim hadith collections place Aisha both at 9 and at much older than 9 when the marriage was consummated.

Both Muslim and Bukhari state that Aisha rode with Muhammad in the Battle of Badr in 624. We see this in the Muslim Hadith collection Book 019, Number 4472. And from Bukhari Volume 4, Book 52, Number 131 we know she was at the battle of Uhud. Badr especially started off as raids and weren't planned. In order to go on a raid or to ride with the men you must be at least 15 years old, so claim both Muslim and Bukhari collections. These can be found in Bukahri Volume 5, Book 59, Number 423 and in Muslim Book 019, Number 4466. Both show that there were age restrictions when it came to riding with the parties. If this is the case, then Aisha must have been at least 13 years old when she was married in 622.

Finally, Bukhari Volume 6, Book 60, Number 399 states that during the revelation of the 54th Quranic verse Aisha makes the statement that the revelation came when she was a playful little girl. The 54th Quranic sura occured no less than 9 years before 622. Which would have made her older than 9 upon marriage and even older upon consumation.


What happen then? Why the difference?

It was common back then (as we see with other hadiths in these collections) for the first digit of numbers to be left out when it is known. For example 16 would have become simply 6 and 19 would have become simply 9. An easy translational mistake and if this is excepted then it fits in with the other hadith of the collection.

We see it happen in the Night of Decree where 1 was used for 21 and where 5 was used for 25. It was not an uncommon practice.

Also, both Hisham and Tabari (authors of two of the earliest bographies of Muhammad, next to Ishaq's whose origional work has been lost) both claim that Aisha was older than 9 upon consummation.

Tabari says that Aisha was already at a marriagable age in the year 615 before Bakr's immigration to Ethiopia. This means that she would still be of suitable age in 622 when she married Muhammad. Tabari also said that Aisha converted to Islam before Umar did, which means that Aisha had to have been old enough to make such a desicion on her own (aka she was old enough to talk) around 610 a fact which Hishram supports.

Also, Hisham states that Aisha was born before the year 610. Which, at the very least, would have made her twevle in 622 when she was married, and older when it was consummated.

Also, having sex with children before they hit puberty would have gone against custom and there would have been little reason to do so.

It is also widely accepted by historians that Aisha was only 10 years younger than her older sister. At the time of Aisha's marriage, Asma was 28 years old which would have made Aisha 18.

The simple fact is that we have more historical evidence that suggests that Aisha was much older than 9, than we do which suggests that she was that young. It is possible that she was younger, but unlikely, this is mainly believed by Muslims who take Bukhari and Muslim as literal canon, when studied from a secular point of view though the evidence against such a notion is quite large.

Sharia Law. The #1 evil of Islam.
There is no mercy in Sharia Law.
There is no tolerance in Sharia Law.
Sharia Law is a product of the Quran and Sunnah. Exposing Islam as totalitarian and cruel.
No bigotry in this statement. Merely fact. Or is expecting Arabs to be reasonable with their constituents unreasonable?

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"My wife, she gets mad when I caress my machine gun, but she
understands." Now close your eyes and repeat: It's a Religion of Peace!

If the Koran acknowledges that Jesus was a great prophet, then why do so many of its teachings conflict with His?

Equating all Arabs with Islam is like saying that all Isrealis are Jews or that all Italians are Roman Catholics.

Rediculous!

Not all Arabs are Muslim and not all Muslims are Arabs.

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"Yes. That's correct. Making a statement that's 100% true can't be bigoted."

Have you read the Koran? have you actually verified for yourself that there is some sort of conflict?

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"Yes. That's correct. Making a statement that's 100% true can't be bigoted."

I fear your post will fall on deaf ears, i'm afraid i've come across this equation before with the poster in question.

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Viva Fidel

If there ever was in the history of humanity an enemy who was truly universal, an enemy whose acts and moves trouble the entire world, threaten the entire world, attack the entire world in any way or another, that real and really universal enemy is precisely Yankee imperialism

They talk about the failure of socialism but where is the success of capitalism in Africa, Asia and Latin America?

Not to mention that all Muslims are Arabs... ;)

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"Have you no decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?"
-Joseph Welch

Incorrect, sharia law teaches much that is worth taking attention of, including the fact that Muslims should obey the law of the land. It also promotes charity and brotherhood, fair trade, women's rights, individual freedoms, equality, tolerance and democratic participation. All these at a time when Europe was coming out of the dark ages and invading all in sight and going on ruthal crusades. I could go on but there is no real need.

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Trust me, I'm a socialist!

There's power in a factory,power in the land, power in the hand of the worker. But it all amounts to nothing if together we don't stand, there is power in a union.
The union forever defending our rights, down with the blackleg, workers unite. To our brothers and our sisters in many far off lands, there is power in a union.
Money speaks for money, the devil for his own. - Billy Bragg

They don't.

__________________
Trust me, I'm a socialist!

There's power in a factory,power in the land, power in the hand of the worker. But it all amounts to nothing if together we don't stand, there is power in a union.
The union forever defending our rights, down with the blackleg, workers unite. To our brothers and our sisters in many far off lands, there is power in a union.
Money speaks for money, the devil for his own. - Billy Bragg