Comment #55481 by Victoria on 2/26 at 2:36 pm

My response: I have been living in Muslim and non-Muslim countries since the day I were born and I witness how the Muslims and non-Muslims live peacefully and they respect each other. I see how the Muslims treat the non-Muslims kindly and humanely in Muslim countries. The Muslim governments allow the non-Muslims to practise their belief and way of life freely. And there are churches, temples and synogogues in Muslim countries. Some non-Muslims become successful businessmen or women , politicians, etc in Muslim countries. Very few non-Muslims of Muslim countries migrate to non-Muslim countries. After migration is natural or normal among human beings such as the migration of people between Europe and USA!

There are some cases inwhich the non-Muslims are provoked by non-Muslim organisations to attack Muslims and destroy moques, villages etc. For example , some Christian organisations have provoked the Christians to attack Muslim settlements in Mollucas Indonesia that result in the death of thousands of innocent Muslims and many villages and mosques are burnt down by the Christian terrorists. The Indonesian government has just tried the Christian leaders and hanged them to death for their crimes against humanity!!!! In this case Muslims are forced to defend themselves against the brutal and barbaric Christian extremists!!! In India, Hindu party encourages Hindus to attack and kill Muslims and burn down Muslim villages and towns !!!

Unlike USA and Europe, there are no racism in Muslim countries.

Comment #55481 by Victoria is full of lies, slanders and deceits because Victoria is a bigot herself ( I assume that Victoria is a woman) and it is my pleasure to refute her lies, deceits and slanders:

You Victoria are an ignorant, biased, bigoted and brutal liar for inventing lies and fairy stories to slander Muslims and Muslim countris! From your statement I know that you never go to any Muslim countries to live among Muslims. We Muslims live peacefully and we treat non-Muslims kindly and humanely for they are our friends and neighbours. The rate of crime of Muslim countries is lower than the rate of crime in USA and Europe ! Lets us see some examples that show how violent USA is:
a)Florida searches for root of surge in violent crime By Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY
VIOLENT CRIME JUMPS

Preliminary crime reports from Florida to the FBI for the first six months of this year show increases in homicides and robberies:

Number of incidents
Crime Jan.-June 2005 Jan.-June 2006 Change
Homicides 408 518 27%
Forcible
sex offenses 6,229 5,893 {ndash} 5.4%
Robberies 14,149 15,663 10.7%

Source: Florida Department of Law Enforcement

United States Crime Index Rates Per 100,000 Inhabitants in 2005:

Violent 469.2
Property 3,429.8
Murder 5.6
Forcible Rape 31.7
Robbery 140.7
Aggravated assault 291.1
Burglary 726.7
Larceny-Theft 2,286.3
Vehicle Theft 416.7

Source:United States Crime Rates 1960 - 2005 http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm

It seems to me that USA is a violent country with high crime rate and (I quote your own word) ‘This is the American way’.What David have experienced is the real Islam which is peaceful, loving, caring etc which is different from the American way of life judging form the data above. How dare you invent lies and slander to blame and frame Islam and Muslims who live peacefully with their non-Muslim neighbours and friends in Muslim countries !!!

Now lets us study the rate of crime in Saudi Arabia:
The incidence of crime was considered to be relatively low in Saudi Arabia, and violent street crime was particularly unusual. Crime rates had, however, risen with the presence of foreign workers. An increase noted in the level of petty crime in 1989 was linked to unemployment among Saudis and Yemeni residents of the kingdom. The severity of penalties and the rigid system of enforcement were credited by both officials and ordinary citizens with contributing to the high standards of public safety. Supporters of severe punishment believed that, although carried out infrequently, a beheading or stoning reminded the people that such penalties remained in force. Some observers disagreed, citing cultural traits and the social forces bearing on Arabs of the peninsula as the main inhibiting factors.

Saudi Arabia Crime Index Rates Per 100,000 Inhabitants:
According to the Statistical Yearbook published by the Ministry of Finance and National Economy, the most common crimes in 1988 were theft (321 cases), the production, sale, and consumption of alcohol (216 cases), altercations and quarreling (155 cases), and moral offenses (110 cases). There were 2 murders and 14 cases of attempted and threatened murder. There were 1 case of arson and 24 cases involving forgery or fraud.

That is one of the differences between a Muslim country such as Saudi Arabia and a secular country such as USA!

Therefore I have proven that you Victoria are among the worst bigots, liars and slanderers who invent lies and slanders to degrade, insult, frame, blame and slander Islam and Muslims. I really pity you Victoria for your bigotry cause you to make slanderous statements against Islam. Come and live with me and you will see how good Muslim societies are !!!

What David have experienced is not the real islam. This is the American way Islam and muslims trying to show others. The ral islam is the one you see around the world and suicide bombers and slaughtering non-muslims like sheep. I lived 30 years of my life in islamic country , I have seen first hand the real islam and how much hate they have for Christians and Jews. I have heard the cursing of Christians anf Jews 5 times everyday with their call of prayers. I read Arabic and I have read many of the islamic books, I know very well the history of islam and how it started. I know the history of Mohammed and I know too how much blood this man carries on his hand. I know where the word terror came from, it is in the qura’n. What you are seeing in the world today from people like Ben-Laden, Zawahri........and many many like them, is the real islamic teaching. I don’t say that all muslims are like that but when a nomal muslim becomes religious he turns to a terriorist, he stats to hate others who don’t share the same beleif as him even if they are muslims, let alone non-muslims specially Jews and Christians.

What David did is something he deserves to get a credit for but I want to tell you something David, don’t get fooled by that..... This is not the real Islam.

Very good programme. Hope this will help to reduce the misunderstanding of Americans about Islam.

Derek.......I will prove that you are wrong. Allah(God) forbids people from committing misdeeds, crimes and war crimes so you are wrong for slandering Him. Lets us consider some of the teachings of Islam: Islam, a religion of mercy, does not permit terrorism. In the Quran, God has said: God does not forbid you from showing kindness and dealing justly with those who have not fought you about religion and have not driven you out of your homes. God loves just dealers. (Quran, 60:8) The Prophet Muhammad used to prohibit soldiers from killing women and children, and he would advise them: {...Do not betray, do not be excessive, do not kill a newborn child.}. And he also said: {Whoever has killed a person having a treaty with the Muslims shall not smell the fragrance of Paradise, though its fragrance is found for a span of forty years.} Also, the Prophet Muhammad has forbidden punishment with fire. He once listed murder as the second of the major sins, and he even warned that on the Day of Judgment, {The first cases to be adjudicated between people on the Day of Judgment will be those of bloodshed.} Muslims are even encouraged to be kind to animals and are forbidden to hurt them. Once the Prophet Muhammad said: {A woman was punished because she imprisoned a cat until it died. On account of this, she was doomed to Hell. While she imprisoned it, she did not give the cat food or drink, nor did she free it to eat the insects of the earth.} He also said that a man gave a very thirsty dog a drink, so God forgave his sins for this action. The Prophet was asked, “Messenger of God, are we rewarded for kindness towards animals?” He said: {There is a reward for kindness to every living animal or human.}..........Conclusion: Allah has prohibited Muslims from committing mischief. Allah says in the Qur’an: “And seek not occasions for mischief in the land: for Allah loves not those who do mischief” (28:77) Hence Allah did not only enact deterrent punishment against terrorism, aggression and corruption, but considers these acts tantamount to waging war against Allah and His Messenger.

My response to Comment #50333 by Derek:

Islam is not a threat to civilization. In fact it is Islam and Muslims who have contributed so much to the world civilization and the western scholars have recognized the contribution of Islam and Muslims:

Bertrand Russel in ‘History of Western Philosophy,’:
“Our use of phrase ‘The Dark ages’ to cover the period from 699 to 1,000 marks our undue concentration on Western Europe…
“From India to Spain, the brilliant civilization of Islam flourished. What was lost to christendom at this time was not lost to civilization, but quite the contrary…

“To us it seems that West-European civilization is civilization, but this is a narrow view.”

H.G. Wells:
“The Islamic teachings have left great traditions for equitable and gentle dealings and behavior, and inspire people with nobility and tolerance. These are human teachings of the highest order and at the same time practicable. These teachings brought into existence a society in which hard-heartedness and collective oppression and injustice were the least as compared with all other societies preceding it....Islam is replete with gentleness, courtesy, and fraternity.”

Dr. William Draper in ‘History of Intellectual Development of Europe’:
“During the period of the Caliphs the learned men of the Christians and the Jews were not only held in great esteem but were appointed to posts of great responsibility, and were promoted to the high ranking job in the government....He (Caliph Haroon Rasheed) never considered to which country a learned person belonged nor his faith and belief, but only his excellence in the field of learning.”

Phillip Hitti in ‘Short History of the Arabs.’:
“During all the first part of the Middle Ages, no other people made as important a contribution to human progress as did the Arabs, if we take this term to mean all those whose mother-tongue was Arabic, and not merely those living in the Arabian peninsula. For centuries, Arabic was the language of learning, culture and intellectual progress for the whole of the civilized world with the exception of the Far East. From the IXth to the XIIth century there were more philosophical, medical, historical, religiuos, astronomical and geographical works written in Arabic than in any other human tongue.”

Marcel Clerget in ‘La Turquie, Passe et Present,’:
“Many proofs of high cultural level of the Ottoman Empire during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent are to be found in the development of science and law; in the flowering of literary works in Arabic, Persian and Turkish; in the contemporary monuments in Istanbul, Bursa, and Edirne; in the boom in luxury industries; in the sumptuous life of the court and high dignitaries, and last but not least in its religious tolerance. All the various influences - notably Turkish, Byzantine and Italian mingle together and help to make this the most brilliant epoch of the Ottomans.”

Sir John Bagot Glubb:
“Khalif (Caliph) Al-Ma’mun’s period of rule (813 - 833 C.E.) may be considered the ‘golden age’ of science and learning. He had always been devoted to books and to learned pursuits. His brilliant mind was interested in every form of intellectual activity. Not only poetry but also philosophy, theology, astronomy, medicine and law all occupied his time.”
“By Mamun’s time medical schools were extremely active in Baghdad. The first free public hospital was opened in Baghdad during the Caliphate of Haroon-ar-Rashid. As the system developed, physicians and surgeons were appointed who gave lectures to medical students and issued diplomas to those who were considered qualified to practice. The first hospital in Egypt was opened in 872 AD and thereafter public hospitals sprang up all over the empire from Spain and the Maghrib to Persia.”

My sincere advice for Derek: please open your mind and do not make any biased statements that will reflect your corrupt and immoral personality.

“The last thing the world needs is religious fundamentalists.  They come from every religion however Islam is the greatest threat to civilization.” Comment #50333 by Derek on 1/29 at 2:54 pm

.................................................Here is my response to refute Derek’s ignorant and nonsensical statement:

Islam is not a threat to civilization. In fact Quran, Islam and Muslims have made many contribution to civilization. During the Dark Ages of Europe the European people were ignorant people and they were fooled and controlled by the churches that manipulated them for the benefits of church officials and Pope. There were Christian priests who sold letters to ignorant Christians who hoped that they would go to heaven by using the letters!

During the Dark Ages of Europe, Muslim nations enjoyed the Golden Ages of Islam during which Muslim nations became the centers for higher learning. Many European people came to Muslim nations to study medicine, engineering, architecture, mathematics, science, astronomy, geography etc. Then the European people became the learned people who returned to Europe only to find that the church officials were waiting to torture and burn them to death because the church priests were afraid that the people of Europe would become clever and they would not follow the church officials who had been fooling them since the day they were born. And many of the European scientists were tortured and burnt to death by the church officials! THEREFORE EUROPE AND THE WORLD OWE MUSLIMS THE CVILIZATION.

Sir John Bagot Glubb

“Khalif (Caliph) Al-Ma’mun’s period of rule (813 - 833 C.E.) may be considered the ‘golden age’ of science and learning. He had always been devoted to books and to learned pursuits. His brilliant mind was interested in every form of intellectual activity. Not only poetry but also philosophy, theology, astronomy, medicine and law all occupied his time.”
“By Mamun’s time medical schools were extremely active in Baghdad. The first free public hospital was opened in Baghdad during the Caliphate of Haroon-ar-Rashid. As the system developed, physicians and surgeons were appointed who gave lectures to medical students and issued diplomas to those who were considered qualified to practice. The first hospital in Egypt was opened in 872 AD and thereafter public hospitals sprang up all over the empire from Spain and the Maghrib to Persia.”

The last thing the world needs is religious fundamentalists.  They come from every religion however Islam is the greatest threat to civilization.  In every place that it exists it has raised havoc.  Anyone with an open mind can see that.

thank you for this.  i wish more bible-belt americans would experience this piece.  well done and subtle.

For DoubleUeye (adorable name, btw! =D). I don’t think a Muslim would agree to do that. But it’s a good question! I don’t say this because of some kind of non-existant anti-social Islamic teaching, there is, in fact, no such thing. It’s simply because we have strict rules that must be followed, regardless of a situation, unless in an emergency.

See? It’s different if your religion doesn’t have strict dos and don’ts. Don’t get me wrong! I’m not saying Christians or Jews or anybody else are slackers! Simply that Islam specifically warns against slacking.

For example, the point of the whole thing is to live as though you were “one of them”, following their rules, and not your own, and then talking and learning about the experience from your very different perspective, yeah? Well the thing is, there are some things Muslims *have* to do, again, unless there is an emergency. Or if a person is clinically insane, too unhealthy (we’re talkin’ vegtables), financially unable (in the case of the Holy Pilgramage to Makkah [Hajj, in Arabic]), etc.

An example of such a thing are the five daily prayers. They’re not just prayers where you sit and talk to God (talk, not converse!!!), asking Him for things, for forgiveness, or guidence, etc. This sort of prayer (talking) is what we call dua’a. The sort of prayer I’m talking about is called Salah, and it’s a series of movements and supplications and reciting of the Qur’an that MUST be done five times a day, unless one of the previously mentioned excuses are present. Neglect of these prayers, if deliberate (NOT if by accident, such as over-sleeping the time frame for one of the prayers, or forgetting to pray, etc.), is a sin.

Also, if the program were scheduled, by chance or on purpose, during the Islamic month of fasting, Ramadhan, the rules of the game ask that the Muslim *live as whatever the religion the members of the household he’s in are*, and would therefore be “kept” from praying.

So you see what I mean? We wouldn’t refuse to do it out of spite or distaste for the whole thing, to be honest, if it didn’t prevent me from doing all the things I’ve been ordered by God to do, as a Muslim, I might volenteer for it! Lol. (Another example of a negelected duty in my case, or any Muslim woman’s, would be that of covering - to live as a Christian or Jew might specify that the person can’t wear the Hijab [modest, concealing clothes worn by a Muslim woman as a demand for respect].)

Anyway, I hope to have shed some light on this issue, and to have helped. Further discussion is more than welcome, and *anyone* is very welcome to write to me personally, if you’d like to know more about Islam, or anything to do with it, at: amitafnamso at hotmail dot com!! Take care!

Salam (peace)!!

This was really brilliant!  Kudos to the show and it’s producers. 

A brief message to Derek, respect is not learned it’s earned.  Please take your closed mind somewhere else.

Muslims had nothing to do with the 9-11. It was Bush and his cronies who had planned and executed the 9-11 to frame Muslims and attack and occupy Muslim nations such as Iraq and Afghanistan. As soon as the 9-11 jets hit the WTC, there were some explosions at the basement of the WTC. It seems to me that explosives were planted in the WTC that caused the WTC to collapse like a demolished building. And there was WTC 7 that was not hit by any jets but it collapsed. It is an irony that there were no earthquakes so who did demolish the WTC 7? It was an inside job! As soon as the jets hit the WTC, the US government produced the names of the Muslim hijcakers of the 9-11 jets. It is an irony that most of the Muslims are still alive and well today according to the world news! Bush had lied to you the American people! The American flight school had stated that the ‘Muslims’ could not even fly a cessna so flying a 747 etc was impossible for them to do! By the way why were the 4000 Zionists who used to work in the WTC absent on the 9-11? How did they know that the 9-11 was about to happen and avoid it in time? Bush’s body guards did not take him to a safe place as soon as Bush was informed of the 9-11. He remained at the school/kindergarten at the time! Why didn’t his body guards took him to a safe place? How come a Boeing747 hit the Pentagon and left a hole that was too small for the Boeing 747 to enter? And the Pentagon fails to show us that a jet had hit it!The US government and Zionists were behind the 9-11 to frame Muslims and slander Islam!

Comment #50030 by Derek :"The women were not allowed to rally.  Does that sound familiar?  Yeah it does because that is what they do in the Middle East.  LEARN RESPECT, Muslims.”.............My response:Lets us see how Islam and Christianity treat women:

Let us start with the Old Testament and look at excerpts from what is called the Wisdom Literature in which we find:

“I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner she will ensnare....while I was still searching but not finding, I found one upright man among a thousand but not one upright woman among them all” (Ecclesiastes 7:26-28).

The Catholic Bible states explicitly that:
“The birth of a daughter is a loss” (Ecclesiasticus 22:3).

St. Paul in the New Testament:
“A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I don’t permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner” (I Timothy 2:11-14).

And lets us see how Islam treas women:
Let the Quran speak for itself:

“For Muslim men and women, for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in charity, for men and women who fast, for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in Allah’s praise-- For them all has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward” (33:35).

“The believers, men and women, are protectors, one of another: they enjoin what is just, and forbid what is evil, they observe regular prayers, practise regular charity, and obey Allah and His Messenger. On them will Allah pour His Mercy: for Allah is Exalted in power, Wise” (9:71).

“And their Lord answered them: Truly I will never cause to be lost the work of any of you, Be you a male or female, you are members one of another” (3:195).

“Whoever works righteousness, man or woman, and has faith, verily to him/her we will give a new life that is good and pure, and we will bestow on such their reward according to the best of their actions” (16:97).

It is clear that the Quranic view of women is no different than that of men. They, both, are God’s creatures whose sublime goal on earth is to worship their Lord, do righteous deeds, and avoid evil and they, both, will be assessed accordingly.

In contrast to the Bible, the Quran considers the birth of a female as a gift and a blessing from God, the same as the birth of a male. The Quran even mentions the gift of the female birth first:

“ To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. He creates what He wills. He bestows female children to whomever He wills and bestows male children to whomever He wills” (42:49).

1) My response to Comment #50030 by Derek : You are an arrogant and ignorant person for making an ignorant statement. Saddam Hussain was framed and executed by the US-Iraqi kangaroo court that is controlled by the US government for the US government is occupying Iraq now. Bush has fired a fair judge and murdered Saddam’s lawyers so that Bush and his cronies could frame and hang Saddam Hussain to death. Bush and his cronies are coward for they dare not try Saddam in the international court eventhough Saddam’s lawyers had requested the case to be transfered to an international court. Bush and his cronies were afraid that Saddam might expose all the lies, deceits and crimes of Bush and his cronies if the case was transfered to an international court! Saddam Hussain was not guilty of the crimes that were invented by Bush and his cronies! Saddam Hussain was hanged to death beacuse he dared to defend Iraq against the brutal and illegal American invasion of Iraq. History tells us how the German leaders and their soldiers were tried and hanged to death for attacking and occupying foreign nations so Bush and his cronies and the generals of the US Armed Forces should be tried and hanged to death for attacking and occupying Afghanistan, Iraq , Somalia etc !

After months of threats and a long military buildup, the United States attacked Iraq on Thursday, March 20, 2003. Washington cut short UN arms inspections, acting with its military ally, Britain, after a war-sanctioning resolution failed by a wide margin to gain support in the UN Security Council. The war faces strong opposition from France, Germany, Russia, China and the great majority of UN member states as well as world public opinion. The US and the UK, with a military ground force of about 300,000, encountered stiff Iraqi resistance. The war has created a deep humanitarian crisis in Iraq and a deep political crisis in the international system. After all the American invasion of Iraq is based on Bush’s lies such as the non-existent WMDS..........THEREFORE THE AMERICAN INVASION OF IRAQ IS ILLEGAL AND IT IS BASED ON LIES THAT ARE INVENTED BY BUSH, BLIAR AND THEIR CRONIES!

And now the American forces are attacking, bombing, firebombing and bombarding civilian targets killing innocent Iraqi people. And the brutal and barbaric American soldiers and Marines who are mostly Christians are terrorizing, torturing, raping and massacring innocent Iraq babies, children, women, elderly people and unarmed men. I am not surprised to see the war crimes committed by the Christian soldiers for the Christians had murdered more than 56 millions of Christians in Europe during the Second World War! So the war crimes committed by Bush and the American soldiers and Marines reflect the teachings of Christianity!

Andrew Nowicki wrote:

> http://tinyurl.com/ylyzlm

This video is now available at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peFQWuk4nuo

This is propaganda. If you want to learn something about Islam, watch the following videos:

http://www.heritage.org/Press/Events/ev092706a.cfm

http://tinyurl.com/ylyzlm

Muslims should learn to RESPECT our culture not the other way around.  After Saddam Hussein was executed male American Muslims chanted and rallied in the street.  The women were not allowed to rally.  Does that sound familiar?  Yeah it does because that is what they do in the Middle East.  LEARN RESPECT, Muslims.

Very interesting.  I’m so glad I took the time to watch it.  I think the fear of what we don’t know or understand has been so prevalant in the political climate for so long, it’s questionable whether we’ll ever be able to shed it.  I, personally, am offended by the constant references to Christianity I see daily, living in the South, but the Christians don’t see the similiarities between that and their offense when they hear the call to prayer over loudspeakers.  Some Christians think all Muslims should apologize for 9/11 and yet do we hear apologies from them when someone, in the name of Jesus, bombs an abortion clinic?
It’s the same kind of fear our government attempted to perpetrate when Blacks were linked with violent crime.  And even though, deep down, I know it makes no sense to believe that because Middle Eastern people perpetrated 9/11 we should fear and hate them all, it’s hard not to feel fear in situations like sitting next to an Arab-looking person on a plane.  Does that mean the instilling of fear to maintain control is working?

............BRAVO!............

Fascinating.  Truly.

Thank you to 30 Days (whatta great concept—not just this episode) and to TruthDig for imbeding it here.

Eye opening and I have more respect for Islam.  I think more people need to do this—living for 30 days (or more) in a way that is contrary to their paradimes.

Peace.

This program was very interesting and informative. Are the producers considering sending a Muslim for 30 days to live as a Christian, or Jew?

Thanks.

living as a muslim or christian woman.