my comment... continued.grrrirMay 17 2009, 20:36:13 UTC
Meeeee: seeing as i've been so excited to read all of your emails and see you boys joyously debating with such great camaraderie, i figured i should put my two cents in on the subject of this email.
to quote our dear mr. costello, "I'd be saying to clerics who are teaching that there are two laws governing people in Australia: one the Australian law and another Islamic law that is false. If you can't agree with parliamentary law, independent courts, democracy, and would prefer Sharia law and have the opportunity to go to another country, which practices it, perhaps, then, that's a better option."
To paraphrase, costello is making the assumption that australian law and islamic law (sharia) are two very comparable things, as though you pick which one to live under. it is my understanding, that islamic law is the worship of Allah in certain ways. those ways are given in the qur'an by the prophet muhammad, none of which refer to how to run a government, much less a parliament. to put it in perspective, that would be like saying, living under the bible's law or living under american law. the two things are very different, one is religion, and one is the state. the only way to compare the two would be that the constitution were shaped by the bible, which, to my understanding, is false.
aside from which, i would hope anybody with any interest in understanding arabic would understand the the word "Allah" is a direct translation in arabic for God, with a capital G. So I hope that person would also realize that the God the christians speak of is most likely the same God in which the jewish speak of, which is also the same God that the muslims do. Understand that they all worship God/Allah, and of course, everything (history, prophets, scripture, ritual etc.) under that very key concept (God) differs for all of them. so when i see him say ""Most Australians believe in God." towards the end of the article, i'm going to assume he's comparing "most australians" to the minority of muslims (who don't believe in God?). When in fact, the peoples, whether christian or muslim are both worshiping the all-powerful God, or as some would say in arabic, Allah. please don't forget that ignorance (even from those who shouldn't be, like a prime minister) can so easily be mistaken for fact.
Love to you all, Lei P.S. To spin off your metaphor Jim, if indeed the train does shift to point B by majority, then that is the fate of that train. whether or not those who are want point A can gain more passengers without throwing the point B passengers out, or maybe come to a compromise, well, then can't we have peace? and if so, the more important question is, how do they know, that point A and B are in opposite directions, if they don't know a thing about point B? maybe they're on the same track.
Jim's response: It would be of value to sit and discuss this in person Lei as my time is short and i disdain lengthy discourse of this nature on email, much preferring debate where i can look you in the eye, hear your inflections, read your intent by watching your body langauge etc. . . .
1) God (not Allah) is all over the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, our currency, our halls of justice, Congress, public statuary and plaques, virtually every aspect of our government, etal , yet we wontonly marginalize it all as though it doesn't or shouldn't exist. MUCH more on this in person sometime. . . . .
2) Your (P.S.) to me was interesting. . . .the use of hyperbole here though, I feel, undermines what the Quran teaches. . . there is no compromise. . . .in radical Islam you either conform or die. . . period. I am not willing to give up my country or my way of life because someone else forces it upon me. i will continue to fight to the death for that which I was taught were the covenants of The United States of America. We have moved from a country of accepting the tired and poor to a patsy for everyone else to shit on, spin on, and twist into whatever pretzelogic that suits their individual fancy.
seeing as i've been so excited to read all of your emails and see you
boys joyously debating with such great camaraderie, i figured i should
put my two cents in on the subject of this email.
to quote our dear mr. costello, "I'd be saying to clerics who are
teaching that there are two laws governing people in Australia: one
the Australian law and another Islamic law that is false. If you can't
agree with parliamentary law, independent courts, democracy, and would
prefer Sharia law and have the opportunity to go to another country,
which practices it, perhaps, then, that's a better option."
To paraphrase, costello is making the assumption that australian law
and islamic law (sharia) are two very comparable things, as though you
pick which one to live under. it is my understanding, that islamic law
is the worship of Allah in certain ways. those ways are given in the
qur'an by the prophet muhammad, none of which refer to how to run a
government, much less a parliament. to put it in perspective, that
would be like saying, living under the bible's law or living under
american law. the two things are very different, one is religion, and
one is the state. the only way to compare the two would be that the
constitution were shaped by the bible, which, to my understanding, is
false.
aside from which, i would hope anybody with any interest in
understanding arabic would understand the the word "Allah" is a direct
translation in arabic for God, with a capital G. So I hope that person
would also realize that the God the christians speak of is most likely
the same God in which the jewish speak of, which is also the same God
that the muslims do. Understand that they all worship God/Allah, and
of course, everything (history, prophets, scripture, ritual etc.)
under that very key concept (God) differs for all of them. so when i
see him say ""Most Australians believe in God." towards the end of the
article, i'm going to assume he's comparing "most australians" to the
minority of muslims (who don't believe in God?). When in fact, the
peoples, whether christian or muslim are both worshiping the
all-powerful God, or as some would say in arabic, Allah. please don't
forget that ignorance (even from those who shouldn't be, like a prime
minister) can so easily be mistaken for fact.
Love to you all,
Lei
P.S. To spin off your metaphor Jim, if indeed the train does shift to
point B by majority, then that is the fate of that train. whether or
not those who are want point A can gain more passengers without
throwing the point B passengers out, or maybe come to a compromise,
well, then can't we have peace? and if so, the more important question
is, how do they know, that point A and B are in opposite directions,
if they don't know a thing about point B? maybe they're on the same
track.
Jim's response:
It would be of value to sit and discuss this in person Lei as my time is short and i disdain lengthy discourse of this nature on email, much preferring debate where i can look you in the eye, hear your inflections, read your intent by watching your body langauge etc. . . .
1) God (not Allah) is all over the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, our currency, our halls of justice, Congress, public statuary and plaques, virtually every aspect of our government, etal , yet we wontonly marginalize it all as though it doesn't or shouldn't exist. MUCH more on this in person sometime. . . . .
2) Your (P.S.) to me was interesting. . . .the use of hyperbole here though, I feel, undermines what the Quran teaches. . . there is no compromise. . . .in radical Islam you either conform or die. . . period. I am not willing to give up my country or my way of life because someone else forces it upon me. i will continue to fight to the death for that which I was taught were the covenants of The United States of America. We have moved from a country of accepting the tired and poor to a patsy for everyone else to shit on, spin on, and twist into whatever pretzelogic that suits their individual fancy.
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