Praise Be To Allah!

[aByzantineCatholic]

This is WONDERFUL NEWS!

[font="Arial"][url="http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=544"]Gibson’s “Passion” arrives in the Middle East[/url][/font]

[quote]In Saudi Arabia, where expression of any religion other than Islam is forbidden, pirated copies of the film on DVD have been “selling like hotcakes” on the black market, being bought from street vendors who had underestimated the demand for the illegal versions of the controversial film, according to Arab News. “My customers don’t like subtitled movies, but they are buying this one,” an anonymous vendor representative stated. [/quote]

Maybe it's time for the Muslim world to hear the Good News!

[font="Arial"][b][url="http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=542"]“Issa’s” (Jesus’s) crucifix fascinates today’s Islamic intellectuals[/url][/b][/font]


[quote]The release of the movie “The Passion of the Christ” in Middle East Muslim countries opens the question on how Muslim see the crucifix. In Italy, for example, the crucifix in public places makes some Muslims intolerant and blasphemous. Elsewhere in the Islamic world, the Jesus who died on the cross and resurrected, the Jesus of Catholics, fascinates religious Muslims – above all poets, writers and contemporary intellectuals. [/quote]

This is AWESOME NEWS! Perhaps maybe some Muslims will show up in our Arab [url="http://www.melkite.org/"]Melkite Greek Catholic Churches![/url]

Pray!

Edited March 28, 2004 by aByzantineCatholic

[Archangel]

Yes, awesome news!

Here's more:

The Passion of the Christ a hit in Beirut, Damascus

[url="http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=9408"]http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=9408[/url]

Edited March 28, 2004 by Archangel

[Lounge Daddy]

Praise God.

[cathgirl]

YAY!!!!

[Laudate_Dominum]

I wonder if its ok to say "Praise be to Allah"??

I know Allah basically means God so its probably fine, but I kind of feel funny about it for some reason.

Peace.

[aByzantineCatholic]

Allah is Arabic for God. I know many Coptic Orthodox Christians that say Allah. So, I guess its ok. I used it as a good catchey title so people will read the post.

[Laudate_Dominum]

[quote name='aByzantineCatholic' date='Mar 28 2004, 04:55 PM'] Allah is Arabic for God. I know many Coptic Orthodox Christians that say Allah. So, I guess its ok. I used it as a good catchey title so people will read the post. [/quote]
Yeah, I figured it was cool, technically speaking. I guess I'm just not used to it so it struck me as strange. Also because the muslim concept of God is so different from the Christian one. I think of all the Islamic particularities when I think of Allah. No big deal. Actually I think etymologically the word Allah comes from the ancient semitic word El. I could be wrong but I think I read that somewhere once. Like Elohim, El-Shaddai, El-Elyon, El-Olam, El-Roi, El-Berith, El-Elyon-Shaddai, Yisra-El (Israel), etc..

[XIX]

[quote name='aByzantineCatholic' date='Mar 28 2004, 04:55 PM'] Allah is Arabic for God. I know many Coptic Orthodox Christians that say Allah. So, I guess its ok. I used it as a good catchey title so people will read the post. [/quote]
The catchy title worked.

[MagiDragon]

interesting. it would seem that the leaders of Islam are less antagonistic of Christianity than i had feared. It seems quite strange to me that most prophets couldn't get through the sensorship committees, but this movie made it through completely intact.

Methinks God's hand is in this.

[stargirl3:16]

This is good. Very good.

[luciana]

Awesome

Yeah, catchy title worked!

[Isidore]

Greetings,

I am not sure if any of you have read the Quran or not. Here are a few passages that shows in their belief in Christ (at least during the time of Muhammed). They still have a different view of Jesus, and it definatley needs to be expanded if they ever wish to recieve salvation, but we are closer than many people think. Before you read the following passages from the Quran, check out some trivia....

Who is the only woman mentioned by name in the Quran?
The Virgin Mary

Muhammed was married to Khadidjah, she was a Christian. He was meditating during Ramahdaan, many believe that he was torn as to whether to become a Christian or not when his vision came. After his vision he consulted his wife, and her cousin Waraqa, the leader of the Arabic Christian movement. As a matter of fact, Waraqa was the first to translate the New Testament into Arabic. At the time of Muhammed's vision Waraqa was actively converting Arabs to Christianity. Muhammed thought he was visited by a demon, he was re-assured by these Christians that what was being revealed to hm was not wrong, or against God, or Christianity. Waraqa was the first to proclaim Muhammed a prophet, a Christian prophet.

Muhammed did not have people start praying to Mecca, or hating Christians it was Abu Bakr, his successor. After Muhammed's death in 632 AD Bakr began to change much of the beliefs to help him in converting the pagan Arabic tribes to his version of the Muslim belief.

Allah, is also Aramaic for God, the full meaning of the word is "The one and only true God", who else spoke Aramaic?

In Muhammed's time they believed also in the Torah, our Old Testament, or Scriptures. They got along with Jews just fine. Time and politics changed all of that.

From the Quran...

42. And (remember) when the angels said: "O Maryam (Mary)! Verily, Allâh has chosen you, purified you (from polytheism and disbelief), and chosen you above the women of the 'Alamîn (mankind and jinns) (of her lifetime)."

43. O Mary! "Submit yourself with obedience to your Lord (Allâh, by worshipping none but Him Alone) and prostrate yourself, and Irkâ'i (bow down etc.) along with Ar-Râki'ûn (those who bow down etc.)."

44. This is a part of the news of the Ghaib (unseen, i.e. the news of the past nations of which you have no knowledge) which We inspire you with (O Muhammad SAW). You were not with them, when they cast lots with their pens as to which of them should be charged with the care of Maryam (Mary); nor were you with them when they disputed.

45. (Remember) when the angels said: "O Maryam (Mary)! Verily, Allâh gives you the glad tidings of a Word ["Be!" - and he was! i.e. 'Iesa (Jesus) the son of Maryam (Mary)] from Him, his name will be the Messiah 'Iesa (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary), held in honour in this world and in the Hereafter, and will be one of those who are near to Allâh."

46. "He will speak to the people in the cradle and in manhood, and he will be one of the righteous."

47. She said: "O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man has touched me." He said: "So (it will be) for Allâh creates what He wills. When He has decreed something, He says to it only: "Be!" and it is.

48. And He (Allâh) will teach him ['Iesa (Jesus)] the Book and Al-Hikmah (i.e. the Sunnah, the faultless speech of the Prophets, wisdom, etc.), (and) the Taurât (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel).

49. And will make him ['Iesa (Jesus)] a Messenger to the Children of Israel (saying): "I have come to you with a sign from your Lord, that I design for you out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by Allâh's Leave; and I heal him who was born blind, and the leper, and I bring the dead to life by Allâh's Leave. And I inform you of what you eat, and what you store in your houses. Surely, therein is a sign for you, if you believe.

50. And I have come confirming that which was before me of the Taurât (Torah), and to make lawful to you part of what was forbidden to you, and I have come to you with a proof from your Lord. So fear Allâh and obey me.

51. Truly! Allâh is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him (Alone). This is the Straight Path.

52. Then when 'Iesa (Jesus) came to know of their disbelief, he said: "Who will be my helpers in Allâh's Cause?" Al-Hawâriûn (the disciples) said: "We are the helpers of Allâh; we believe in Allâh, and bear witness that we are Muslims (i.e. we submit to Allâh)."

53. Our Lord! We believe in what You have sent down, and we follow the Messenger ['Iesa (Jesus)]; so write us down among those who bear witness (to the truth i.e. Lâ ilâha ill-Allâh - none has the right to be worshipped but Allâh).

54. And they (disbelievers) plotted [to kill 'Iesa (Jesus) <], and Allâh planned too. And Allâh is the Best of the planners.

55. And (remember) when Allâh said: "O 'Iesa (Jesus)! I will take you and raise you to Myself and clear you [of the forged statement that 'Iesa (Jesus) is Allâh's son] of those who disbelieve, and I will make those who follow you (Monotheists, who worship none but Allâh) superior to those who disbelieve [in the Oneness of Allâh, or disbelieve in some of His Messengers, e.g. Muhammad SAW, 'Iesa (Jesus), Mûsa (Moses), etc., or in His Holy Books, e.g. the Taurât (Torah), the Injeel (Gospel), the Qur'ân] till the Day of Resurrection[10]. Then you will return to Me and I will judge between you in the matters in which you used to dispute."

56. "As to those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe torment in this world and in the Hereafter, and they will have no helpers."

57. And as for those who believe (in the Oneness of Allâh) and do righteous good deeds, Allâh will pay them their reward in full. And Allâh does not like the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong-doers).

58. This is what We recite to you (O Muhammad SAW) of the Verses and the Wise Reminder (i.e. the Qur'ân).

59. Verily, the likeness of 'Iesa (Jesus) before Allâh is the likeness of Adam. He created him from dust, then (He) said to him: "Be!" - and he was.

60. (This is) the truth from your Lord, so be not of those who doubt.

61. Then whoever disputes with you concerning him ['Iesa (Jesus)] after (all this) knowledge that has come to you, [i.e. 'Iesa (Jesus)] being a slave of Allâh, and having no share in Divinity) say: (O Muhammad SAW) "Come, let us call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves - then we pray and invoke (sincerely) the Curse of Allâh upon those who lie."

62. Verily! This is the true narrative [about the story of 'Iesa (Jesus)], and, Lâ ilâha ill-Allâh (none has the right to be worshipped but Allâh, the One and the Only True God, Who has neither a wife nor a son). And indeed, Allâh is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.

63. And if they turn away (and do not accept these true proofs and evidences), then surely, Allâh is All-Aware of those who do mischief.

The following are in a bit different context....

44. Verily, We did send down the Taurât (Torah) [to Mûsa (Moses)], therein was guidance and light, by which the Prophets, who submitted themselves to Allâh's Will, judged the Jews. And the rabbis and the priests [too judged the Jews by the Taurât (Torah) after those Prophets] for to them was entrusted the protection of Allâh's Book, and they were witnesses thereto. Therefore fear not men but fear Me (O Jews) and sell not My Verses for a miserable price. And whosoever does not judge by what Allâh has revealed, such are the Kâfirûn (i.e. disbelievers - of a lesser degree as they do not act on Allâh's Laws).

45. And We ordained therein for them: "Life for life, eye for eye, nose for nose, ear for ear, tooth for tooth, and wounds equal for equal." But if anyone remits the retaliation by way of charity, it shall be for him an expiation. And whosoever does not judge by that which Allâh has revealed, such are the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong­doers - of a lesser degree).

46. And in their footsteps, We sent 'Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), confirming the Taurât (Torah) that had come before him, and We gave him the Injeel (Gospel), in which was guidance and light and confirmation of the Taurât (Torah) that had come before it, a guidance and an admonition for Al-Muttaqûn (the pious).

47. Let the people of the Injeel (Gospel) judge by what Allâh has revealed therein. And whosoever does not judge by what Allâh has revealed (then) such (people) are the Fâsiqûn (the rebellious i.e. disobedient (of a lesser degree) to Allâh.

48. And We have sent down to you (O Muhammad SAW) the Book (this Qur'ân) in truth, confirming the Scripture that came before it and Mohayminan (trustworthy in highness and a witness) over it (old Scriptures). So judge between them by what Allâh has revealed, and follow not their vain desires, diverging away from the truth that has come to you. To each among you, We have prescribed a law and a clear way. If Allâh willed, He would have made you one nation, but that (He) may test you in what He has given you; so strive as in a race in good deeds. The return of you (all) is to Allâh; then He will inform you about that in which you used to differ.

I post this here in the hopes that we will all see, as Christians that our beliefs are not all together different from those of the Jewish religion, and the Muslims. If we all could get to a point where we could see the things our faiths have in common, then we could work toward full understanding of those few points that we differ on.

Maybe the truth of the Crucifixion will help. Maybe getting this message to Muslims, was one reason God inspired Mel to make this movie. Now, I think it is up to us to bridge the political gap, and make sure we all truly understand our differences.

[Enda]

[quote name='Isidore' date='Apr 18 2004, 11:57 AM']

Muhammed was married to Khadidjah, she was a Christian. He was meditating during Ramahdaan, many believe that he was torn as to whether to become a Christian or not when his vision came. After his vision he consulted his wife, and her cousin Waraqa, the leader of the Arabic Christian movement. As a matter of fact, Waraqa was the first to translate the New Testament into Arabic. At the time of Muhammed's vision Waraqa was actively converting Arabs to Christianity. Muhammed thought he was visited by a demon, he was re-assured by these Christians that what was being revealed to hm was not wrong, or against God, or Christianity. Waraqa was the first to proclaim Muhammed a prophet, a Christian prophet.

Muhammed did not have people start praying to Mecca, or hating Christians it was Abu Bakr, his successor. After Muhammed's death in 632 AD Bakr began to change much of the beliefs to help him in converting the pagan Arabic tribes to his version of the Muslim belief.

[/quote]
I'm not sure if I beleive that...

Edited April 18, 2004 by Enda

[Isidore]

[quote name='Enda' date='Apr 18 2004, 11:50 AM'] I'm not sure if I beleive that... [/quote]
Enda,

Well, I can understand your trepedation. We have been told very little about the history of the Muslim faith. To be honest, as Christians we should all be cautious of anything we read or hear. Before we read or study about any other religion, we must be strong in our own Christian faith. If you read what the Quran actually says about Christians, and Jesus it becomes easier to see that it is possible. The words in the Quran, written (or more accuratley dictated ) by Muhammed are in fact the words the fundamentalist Islamic movement has ignored for centuries. In reading the Quran, we see that the religion was originaly based on the Torah, and on the earliest Christian beliefs.

One of the problems is the lack of a good biography on Muhammed, the ones that have been written were all composed centuries after his death. Many are flawed, and they disagree with one another. The Muslims have spent many years denying any connection with Christianity, but this all came with the Muslim hordes, the Arabic tribes who were attacking Christians at the time (Catholics), who were led by Abu Bakr. Many sects of the Islamic faith have fasioned their own seperates ideas concerning the origins, and visions of Muhammed, many times to suit their own political gain.

There are many historical writings that reference the Christian movement in ancient Arabia. The Muslims of today either arent aware of, or actively deny it. It is all true, a little study in history shows it. Obviously their view of the ideals of Christianity was imperfect. This imperfection has lead to their misunderstanding of the tenents of Christianity where we disagree. They do not believe in the Trinity, or of Christ being the Son of God. These mistakes in their theology has also led many to believe in other pagan beliefs, and in the fundamentalist Islamic beliefs of the way to handle infidels.

Now, don't get me wrong here. I am not trying to validate the Muslim faith, I just feel that if I am going to say something is wrong, I want to know as much about it as possible. In comparing our religions, I find even more truth in what Christianity teaches us.

What did you think of the passages from the Quran I quoted?

[Katholikos]

[quote name='Isidore' date='Apr 18 2004, 01:19 PM'] What did you think of the passages from the Quran I quoted? [/quote]

Islam teaches that Jesus was a prophet and that the Virgin Mary was his mother. But Islam denies that Jesus was the Son of God, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, or that God is a Trinity of Persons at all. It condemns Christianity as a religion that misunderstood Jesus and his message from the get go and turned Him into a God. Only Muslems understand the "true" Jesus.

"62. Verily! This is the true narrative [about the story of 'Iesa (Jesus)], and, Lâ ilâha ill-Allâh (none has the right to be worshipped but Allâh, the One and the Only True God, Who has neither a wife nor a son). And indeed, Allâh is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise."

Read: Do not worship Jesus, Allah is the only God, and He has no Son.

Beware of Islam! The curse of Allah be upon you, you infidels, is its message. And Muslems are gonna help Allah carry out his curse, and some of them will die happily in the process. Suicide in the cause of Allah is a ticket to paradise.

JMJ Likos

Edited April 25, 2004 by Katholikos