A NATION CHALLENGED: AMERICAN MUSLIMS; Islam Attracts Converts By the Thousand, Drawn Before and After Attacks
By JODI WILGOREN
Source: The New York Times: October 22, 2001, Monday
Section: National Desk
http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/3016/fastest.htm
"Islam is the fastest-growing religion in America, a guide and pillar of stability for many of our people..." Hillary Rodman Clinton, Los Angeles Times, May 31, 1996, p.3
Famous people are affected too:
Singer "Cat Stevens" Hear his story as told him
http://www.islamtomorrow.net/converts/yusuf_islam.htm
1. you didn't even introduce yourself.
2. you just started quoting other shit...without introducing yourself.
please introduce yourself properly, so we can either a) praise you (Vash, Aury), or b) lynch your sorry ass (Somthor)
going at the rate you are, that is, just quoting other stuff as your posts, you're going to be taken as not a person, but a posting news ticker that everyone will tire of quite quickly
quote:
Vorbis had this to say about the Spice Girls:
This post is would I like to read, it is hard sometimes?
sigpic courtesy of This Guy, original modified by me
Somehow, I don't see Islam's strict religious canon growing too popular in a time when people can't even drag themselves to church every sunday.
[ 12-28-2003: Message edited by: Chief Durkin ]
Osama Bin Laden, when drunk, would be quoted as saying: "You know, maybe we all oughta just chill."
That said, you oughta introduce yourself, son. Nobody likes a faceless wampa.
Freakin' Somthor, Jr. arrives to torment our minds.
--Satan, quoted by John Milton
quote:
Bloodsage had this to say about Reading Rainbow:
Oh, goody!Freakin' Somthor, Jr. arrives to torment our minds.
Chill, bro.
This dude hasn't done anything besides make the easily-rectified faux pas of forgetting an introduction and proper phraseology. If he wants an easy time, then he can put up his mendings anytime.
If he makes life difficult, then have at him, by all means. But with the crackdown on flames, don't start flinging your views about until he throws the first punch, you dig?
Have some pizza 
quote:
There was much rejoicing when Neeecole said this:
Can I have this one's kidneys?
You already have like four kidneys, not including the ones in your body. What the heck are you doing with all the kidneys? HMMM?
sigpic courtesy of This Guy, original modified by me
Also, me not seem ta remember hearing your name before. It may hab sometime go to wid da fact me brain is da size of uh pea, but you seem new. Please intruh-duce yourself.
Tanks. Welcome to ebercrest, don't feed da bucketheads.
edit:
quote:
Random Insanity Generator impressed everyone with:
Fuck the Troll!
Me sorry, me not dat type of troll
quote:
Ja'Deth Issar Ka'bael painfully thought these words up:
You already have like four kidneys, not including the ones in your body. What the heck are you doing with all the kidneys? HMMM?
[ 12-28-2003: Message edited by: diadem ]
Did someone mention food?
quote:
King Parcelan had this to say about pies:
The Islamic extremists are always violent and rowdy for the sole fact that they are so religiously uptight that they cannot drink!Osama Bin Laden, when drunk, would be quoted as saying: "You know, maybe we all oughta just chill."
That said, you oughta introduce yourself, son. Nobody likes a faceless wampa.
you sure about that? I could of sworn they were barred from drinking the alchool made from figs but not any other type.
Just a thought.
quote:
Ja'Deth Issar Ka'bael had this to say about Duck Tales:
You already have like four kidneys, not including the ones in your body. What the heck are you doing with all the kidneys? HMMM?
more organs means more human.
What an odd notion.
--Satan, quoted by John Milton
quote:
Somthor enlisted the help of an infinite number of monkeys to write:
you sure about that? I could of sworn they were barred from drinking the alchool made from figs but not any other type.
It's all alcohol. For example, in Morrocco you will get many street sellers offering 'orange juice' wink wink, nudge nudge.
This is of course vodka with a tiny little bit of orange juice. It's illegal for them to sell it usually.
However, Islam has a lot of sub-sects. Maybe Morocco is part of a much stricter regime, I don't know. I'm no expert 
-Warfare and Violence
-Organized Religion
-Alcohol
Now, we can't very well create world peace out of warfare, can we? Unless we wanted to subjugate all the world through a totally dominating war, that is, which isn't very cost-effective.
Nobody will agree on religion, ever, so that's out of the question.
This leaves us with one option: alcohol. My theory is that we just send North Korea, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Lebanon, Palestine and all their terrorist friends a keg of fine microbrew. We'll also send one to our allies, just to show them we're thinking about them.
Peace will work itself out
quote:
King Parcelan had this to say about Duck Tales:
See, here's the key to World Peace. Let's consider three things that have been around for just about as long as mankind has:-Warfare and Violence
-Organized Religion
-AlcoholNow, we can't very well create world peace out of warfare, can we? Unless we wanted to subjugate all the world through a totally dominating war, that is, which isn't very cost-effective.
Nobody will agree on religion, ever, so that's out of the question.
This leaves us with one option: alcohol. My theory is that we just send North Korea, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Lebanon, Palestine and all their terrorist friends a keg of fine microbrew. We'll also send one to our allies, just to show them we're thinking about them.
Peace will work itself out
Ultimately only the sXe'ers and the Mormons will be offended. But since when have they ever done something out of anger?
quote:
Vorbis had this to say about Captain Planet:
Ultimately only the sXe'ers and the Mormons will be offended. But since when have they ever done something out of anger?
I have thought of this. The sXe'ers will be offended at first and write some really harsh lyrics on their guitars, but they will soon come around when we tell them that all the great musicians had some kind of addiction.
The Mormons will be too busy with their many spouses to care.
Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite. - John Kenneth Galbraith
1. Islam is a religious lifestyle, not just a quick Sunday morning church visit and a label. Although some Christians do pray before each meal and spend much time with their Bible, etc.many don't in the USA. Islam is something that can't be shunted into a few spare hours. You pray five times a day. Your dress code is affected; even your food choices are explained in the Qur'an. Many converts like it because they feel actively involved and as if they are truly religious.
2. For women, it is a big and welcome change from the "in your face" sexuality of western culture. Women are not required by the Qur'an to veil. They are required to dress modestly and it is *recommended* that they cover their hair. However, most do veil and some go farther with niquab (the face screen) or other traditional clothes. Women dressed like this consider themselves marked as religious women, not easy dates. They don't get hit on. No one gawks at their bodies. They are clearly off limits sexually and many that I personally know say it is liberating not to have to conform to western standards of sexy dress, makeup and spending so much time and money on appearance. You buy a five-dollar hijab, put your hair in a ponytail and cover, wear long skirt and a tunic shirt -you're set.
3. Islam is also growing because many people are not satisfied with Christianity. They feel it is too liberal, too fluid and changes for the culture. Islam on the other hand is more rigid and does not as a whole allow much for modern changes and the whims of society. Many like it because they feel other religions have loose standards.
That's what I got from the new Muslimah's group at Yahoo, Islamway women's board and a few other friends of mine. Stats taken by many college groups say that women convert 4 times more often then men.
This is an example:
Why Are Women Turning to Islam
At a time when Islam is faced with hostile media coverage particularly where the status of women in Islam is concerned, it may be quite surprising to learn that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, and even more ironic to discover that the majority of converts to Islam are WOMEN.
The status of women is society is neither a new issue nor is it a fully settled one, and where Islam is mentioned, for many the term 'Muslim Women' prompts images of exhausted mothers chained to the stove, 'victims' suppressed in a life of indoctrination, frantic to be westernized and so on. Others will go to great lengths to explain how the hijaab is an obstacle, clouding the mind, and comment that female converts are either brainwashed, stupid or traitors to their sex. I reject such accusations and pose to them the following question: why is it that so many women who have been born and brought in the so called 'civilized' societies of Europe and America are willing to reject their 'liberty' and 'independence' to embrace a religion that supposedly oppresses them and is widely assumed to be prejudicial to them?
As a Christian convert to Islam, I can only present my personal experience and reasons for rejecting the 'freedom' that women claim to have in this society in favor of the only Religion that truly liberates women by giving us a status and position, which is completely unique when compared with that of non-Muslim counterparts. Before coming to Islam, I had strong feminist tendencies and recognized that where the women was concerned, a lot of shuffling around had been going on, yet without being able to pin her on the social map. The problem was ongoing: new 'women's issues' being raised without the previous ones being satisfactorily resolved. Like the many women who shared my background, I would accuse Islam of being a sexist religion, discriminating, oppressing and giving men the greater privileges. All this coming from a person who did not even know Islam, one who had been blinded due to ignorance and had accepted this deliberately distorted definition of Islam.
However, despite my criticisms of Islam, inwardly I wasn't satisfied with my own status as a woman in this society. It seemed to me that society would define such terms as 'liberty' and 'freedom' and then these definitions were accepted by women without us even attempting to question or challenge them. There was clearly a great contradiction between what women were told in theory and what actually happens in practice. The more I pondered, the greater emptiness I felt within. I was slowly beginning to reach a stage where my dissatisfaction with my status as a women in this society, was really a reflection of my greater dissatisfaction with society itself. Everything seemed to be degenerating backwards, despite the claims that the 2000 was going to be the decade of success and prosperity. Something vital seemed to be missing from my life and nothing would fill this vacuum. Being a Christian did not do anything for me, and I began to question the validity of only remembering God one day a week - Sundays! As with many other Christians too, I had become disillusioned with the hypocrisy of the Church and was becoming increasingly unhappy with the concept of Trinity and the deification of Jesus. Eventually, I began to look into Islam. At first, I was only interested in looking at those issues, which specifically dealt with women. I was surprised. What I read and learned taught me a lot about myself as a woman, and also about where the real oppression of women lies: in every other system and way of life outside of Islam. Muslim women have been given their rights in every aspect of the religion with clear definitions of their role in society - as had men - with no injustice against either of them. As Allah says: Whoever does deeds of righteousness, be they male or female, and have faith, they will enter paradise and not the least injustice will be done to them [Nisaa 4:124]
So having amended my misconceptions about the true status of women in Islam, I was now looking further. I wanted to find that thing which was going to fill the vacuum in my life. My attention was drawn towards the beliefs and practices of Islam. It was only through establishing the fundamentals that I would understand where to turn and what to prioritize. These are often the areas, which receive little attention or controversy in society, and when studying the Islamic Creed, it becomes clear why this is the case: such concise, faultless and wholly comprehensive details cannot be found elsewhere.
--Satan, quoted by John Milton
quote:
How.... Liam.... uughhhhhh:
This is the strangest gimmick I've ever seen.
I need cliffnotes.
It's not something people hear about.
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rinard had this to say about John Romero:
1. Islam is a religious lifestyle, not just a quick Sunday morning church visit and a label.
Which is PRECISELY why you're joking yourself if you think your claims (yes, your claims, and barely substantiated ones at that) that Islam has a snowball's chance in western culture are anything but a fundamentalist pipe-dream.
Of course you always have the seperatists and the rebels. If its not Wicca or neo-paganism, they will find something else to shock people with. A religion popularly identified with terrorism, sexism, and oppression should do the trick, and they even have a massive set of life altering guidelines to aid the weak minded too.
aawww how sweet.
[edit: added "peanut-ridden" for comedy factor] [ 12-29-2003: Message edited by: Chief Durkin ]
quote:
Chief Durkin wrote this then went back to looking for porn:
Incidentally, it's "Hillary Rodham Clinton
Maybe she divorced Bill (but kept the name) and married Dennis Rodman...
But they both deserve that.
--Satan, quoted by John Milton
quote:
Death of Rats got all f'ed up on Angel Dust and wrote:
Hey, It would save them money on clothes, Dennis could wear Hiliarys clothes.
and her make-up too...
quote:
Pvednes had this to say about Cuba:
Star Collective, I'd like you to meet someone...
Religious brawl! Religious brawl!
Rinard: Islam is the new face of America! My unlinked spewing of geocities facts proves this!
Star Collective: Fool of a Muslim! We Christians require no such "facts" to prove that ours is the true religion!
Rinard: AAAAAARGH! PREPARE TO DIE! FEMALE-OPPRESSING-ABSTINENCE CULTURE SHOCK WAVE!
Star Collective: LORD! GRANT ME STRENGTH! ALTAR BOY FELLATIO ASSAULT!
Now all we need is Karnaj to get in on the mix with his famous Darwin-Wu school of martial arts.
quote:
King Parcelan wrote, obviously thinking too hard:
Religious brawl! Religious brawl!Rinard: Islam is the new face of America! My unlinked spewing of geocities facts proves this!
Star Collective: Fool of a Muslim! We Christians require no such "facts" to prove that ours is the true religion!
Rinard: AAAAAARGH! PREPARE TO DIE! FEMALE-OPPRESSING-ABSTINENCE CULTURE SHOCK WAVE!
Star Collective: LORD! GRANT ME STRENGTH! ALTAR BOY FELLATIO ASSAULT!
Now all we need is Karnaj to get in on the mix with his famous Darwin-Wu school of martial arts.
Oh god my stomach. Oh, god I'm dying...
*dies laughing*
Lyinar Ka`Bael, Piney Fresh Druidess - Luclin
