From: indu@iss700.Columbia.NCR.COM ()
Subject: Religious (In) Tolerance & Muhammad's Battles
Originator: indu@iss700
Organization: NCR Corp, E&M-Columbia, Columbia, SC
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 92 20:59:37 GMT

Friends!

Somebody on the net, had  said incorrectly that Islam preaches religious 
tolerance. Infact the exact  words were "Islam rules out other faiths. But  
nobody is forced into it.". I would like to present the following facts 
from the life  of Muhammad(and Quran). These have been extracted out of a Book,
Islam Revealed, by Dr. Anis Shorrosh. PLEASE NOTE THAT ANIS 'S  BOOK 
HAS DETAILED DESCRIPTION ON EACH OF  THESE  TOPICS.

   I think Shalkil Ahmed made that claim. I would like to know Shakils 
   views on these too. By the way, Shakil, If  you find these too hard to
   digest, gas it off. No problems.  YOU HAVE STILL NOT ANSWERED THOSE NINE 
   QUESTIONS I POSED YOU in the thread TALAQ BY PHONE regarding  Muhammad 
   marrying his (adopted)  Son's wife.   (Hope you would take back your 
   allegations that I was wrong on these facts).

1. At first, the Meccans gave little heed to the teachings of Muhammad; but
   no sooner did he condemn their Idols than they became angry and persecuted
   his new converts. Zeyd was attacked while leading prayers. He defended 
   himself and struck one of his opponents with a camels goad (?). This was
   the first blood spilled for the cause of  Islam.

2. BATTLE OF  BADR. Muhammad heard that a rich caravan of the Quraish was  on
   its way from Syria to Mecca, so he  took 305 men to plunder it. 

   When tghe leader of the caravan, ABU JAHALs head was cast  on  Muhammads 
   feet the prophet exclaimed "It is more acceptable  to  me than the choicest
   camel of Arabia".

3. The first  blood shed at Medina under  devotion  to Muhammad was a woman's.
   Asma,  daughter of Merwan, made  no secret  of her  dislike to Islam and
   she composed verses on the  folly of putting faith in a stranger  who had 
   slain his own people in Battle. The verses quickly spread from 
   mouth to mouth.

  'Umair a blind man, in the dead of the night, crept to the apartment  where 
   Asma lay asleep with her children. Stealthily, he  removed  the 
   suckling baby, and plunged his sword into her breast pinning her to couch.

   Muhammad after knowing this, turned to  the  bystanders and said "Behold 
   a man that hath assissted the  Lord and  his Prophet. Call him not Blind,
   call him rather 'Umair the seeing".

4. BATTLE AGAINST JEWISH TRIBES
   Muahhammad  summoned the Jewish tribes to acknowledge him as the apostle of
   God lest they suffer the fate of  the Quraish. They refused.

   Placing his great white banner fresh from the battle of Badr, in the hands 
   of Hamza, he marched against the Jewish tribes and besieged their fort. 

   One by one they surrendered and  as  they  came out were pinioned for 
   excecutiion.
   

5. In the battle with Quraiza Jews, there were 2000 Jews who surrendered 
   at last. In the morning Muhammad commanded that male captives be beheaded
   in groups of 5-6. This butchery lasted all day  and continued by torch light
   into the night.

   Zainab, a woman who lost her husband, father, brother in the bloody battle,
   cooked a goat, steeped poison in it and placed the dish befor Muhammad 
   for his evening supper. Accepting the gift he took for himself favorite 
   shoulder piece, and distributed portions to Abu Bakr and friends. 

   "Hold" cried Muhammad as he spat out the first mouth ful, "this shoulder 
    has been poisoned". One who had swallowed part of meat soon died. Muhammad
    was seized with excruciating pain. Zainab said ".. If he be a prophet
    he will reject the gift knowing that it is poisoned; but if only a 
    pretender we shall be rid of our troubles". 

    (In the third month of the Eleventh Year of the Hijra, Muhammad fell 
     sick. The recent death of his Infant son, Ibrahim, weighed his spirits 
     down and the poison he had consumed at Khaibar still  bothered him,..
     and  he died of prolonged Illness slightly after midday, on the eighth 
     of June 632  A.D.)

6. In his conquest of Mecca, Muhammad broke a scheduled truce of ten 
   years within TWO years. With the pretext of dispute among tribes, in 
   January 630, he set out to Mecca with TEN THOUSAND men.

   Quraish offered no resistance. Muhammad entered Mecca on his favorite camel,
   recited Surat al-Fatah (Victory) 48. He then went around Kabah 
   7 times, touching the black stone with his stick. He  ordered daily  
   prayers in the direction of Kabah.  He ordered the destruction of 360  
   idols in the temple. He himself broke a wooden pigeon suspended from the 
   roof, regarded as the diety of Quraish. 

   During his stay in Mecca, Muhammad sent out troops into the district to 
   destroy them temples of 'Uzza, Suwa, and Manat and the Idols of neighboring
   tribes. His high-strung deputy Khalid, ordered  a whole tribe to  be slain,
   because they would not accept Muhammad as Allahs prophet.

-Indu.
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|  My  views expressed above are made on a PERSONAL basis              |
|  No Group or  Organization   can be held responsible                 |
|                                ( for those in quest of truth .......)|
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