Which is preferable: Islam or Judaism? Consider: 1) Stoning – Muslims are often castigated for stoning, which does occur in a few countries. However stoning is not condoned by the Quran. Jewish scriptures do demand stoning for adultery, though of course Jewish people today don’t stone anyone. Stoning is Not Islamic 2) Patriarchy – Islam is often criticized for patriarchal abuses, but these patriarchal practices often predate Islam and are not condoned in Mohammed’s teaching. Many ideologies attach themselves to patriarchal (or we could use a less negative term like “family friendly” practices. Why? Because any ideology that doesn’t fails to reproduce and eventually goes extinct. Patriarchy is inevitable. Christianity has become associated with family values, even though Jesus was anti-patriarchal. Atheists have embraced the worst sort of patriarchy – don’t forget Fidel Castro’s brutal treatment of homosexuals. The Return of Patriarchy 3) Terrorism See article: It's the Occupation, Stupid Extensive research into the causes of suicide terrorism proves Islam isn't to blame -- the root of the problem is foreign military occupations. 4) Ethnic Bigotry – Islam is a universal religion. Members of any ethnic group can join. All are equal in the faith, at least theoretically. In contrast, Judaism promotes a particular ethnic group. Israel and Anti-Gentile Traditions 5) Israel – It is not fair to blame Judaism for Zionist brutality. Most Zionist leaders have been secular. For example Theodor Herzl was an atheist. Many religious Jews have steadfastly opposed Zionism. True Torah Jews Against Zionism 6) The Holocaust – Many Muslims saved Jews during World War II. Stories from World War II During the dark days of the Second World War, selfless acts of human compassion provided a bright ray of hope. These are the stories of Muslims who saved Jews. 7) The Media – Many of the media bosses are Jewish and they don’t mind covering up Jewish misdeeds. How many have heard of this: City Questions Circumcision Ritual After Baby Dies Imagine the numerous screaming headlines if Moslems were caught sucking baby boys’ penises. Or this: Israel Police busts ultra-Orthodox cult suspected of abusing women and children Nine cult members arrested in undercover investigation responding to complaint submitted to young woman; cult allegedly carried out abuse, including rape, over a two-year period. Meanwhile Moslem crimes, real and fabricated, are shouted from the rooftops. Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People is a 2001 book by Jack Shaheen where he surveyed more than 900 film appearances of Arab characters. Of those, only a dozen were positive and 50 were balanced. Shaheen writes "Seen through Hollywood's distorted lenses, Arabs look different and threatening."
Judaism is preferrable. Jews aren't bombing us. They don't preach that we should die. They don't stone....even though the torah specifically talks about it. Imagine that...and we still don't fear they will stone prostitues. Jews don't kill their wives and daughters for "dishonoring" them. Jews don't demand a whole society follow their holiday and eating requirements. They don't intimidate companies, schools or people to change so that Jews can be accomodated. In otherwords....Jews are for rule of law and tolerance and Muslims tend to be totaltarian. The main crime of the Jews is that they tend to be liberal. Also, they take commonsense steps to protect their country from annihilation. What religion is more preferable? Its a no brainer.
The media often ignores crimes against Muslims. Their violence is never shown as a reasoned response to oppression. Muslims are portrayed as mindless fanatical enemies of freedom.
If you were a Muslim and you lost your family in an Israeli bombing raid would you fight back against Israel and those suppying Israel with weapons? The majority of Muslims are perfectly law-abiding.
Israel and Anti-Gentile Traditions quote: Are Jewish Lives Worth More? In Jewish History, Jewish Religion Shahak brings numerous texts and legal rulings to demonstrate Jewish antipathy to non-Jews. He mentions a passage from the Talmud that says that Jesus will be punished in hell by being immersed in boiling excrement. He relates that Jewish tradition teaches pious Jews to burn copies of the New Testament and curse the mothers of the dead when passing non-Jewish cemeteries. Shahak highlights the famous passage from Leviticus commanding Jews to "love thy neighbor as thyself" and mentions that, according to rabbinic interpretation, "thy neighbor" refers only to Jews. Shahak further suggests that the Jewish tradition values Jewish life more than Gentile life. He cites Maimonides' assertion that whereas one who murders a Jew is subject to the death penalty, one who murders a non-Jew is not (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Murder 2:11). According to another leading commentator, indirectly causing the death of a non-Jew is no sin at all (Rabbi Yoel Sirkis, Bayit Hadash, commentary on Bet Yosef, Yoreh Deah 158 ). Shahak reiterates the well-known Jewish teaching that the duty to save a life supersedes all other obligations and notes that the rabbis interpreted this to apply to Jews only. According to the Talmud, "Gentiles are neither to be lifted [out of a well] nor hauled down [into it]" (Tractate Avodah Zarah, 26b). Maimonides writes: "As for Gentiles with whom we are not at war…their death must not be caused, but it is forbidden to save them if they are at the point of death; if, for example, one of them is seen falling into the sea, he should not be rescued, for it is written: 'neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy fellow'--but [a Gentile] is not thy fellow" (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Murder 4:11). Indeed, Maimonides is the focus of much of Shahak's analysis. Shahak believes that the 12th-century philosopher and talmudist was a Gentile-hater and racist. He quotes Maimonides' statement that, "their [the Turks and the blacks] nature is like the nature of mute animals, and according to my opinion they are not on the level of human beings" (Guide For the Perplexed, Book III, Chapter 51). Practical Ramifications Shahak recognizes that many of these traditions are not followed in practice, but he believes that, in general, they have been covered up, instead of confronted. In support of this claim, he refers to another a violent passage from Maimonides that is not translated in the bilingual addition of the Guide published in Jerusalem in 1962. He sees this as a deliberate deception on the part of the editors to soften classical Jewish militancy. His own English translation of the passage, which discusses the command to kill Jewish infidels reads: "It is a duty to exterminate them with one's own hands. Such as Jesus of Nazareth and his pupils, and Tzadoq and Baitos [the founders of the Sadducees] and their pupils, may the name of the wicked rot." According to Shahak, Jewish "traditions of contempt" infiltrated Zionism and have affected Israeli policy towards its Arab citizens and the Palestinians. He cites three main areas where he believes this has occurred: residency rights, employment rights, and equality before the law. As an example, he mentions that 92% of Israel's land is legally restricted to Jews. While in other countries it would be labeled anti-Semitic if a policy excluded Jews from living on or owning land, in the Israeli context Jews tolerate it. He adds that based on the distinction in classical Judaism between reverence for Jewish cemeteries and not for non-Jewish ones, the state of Israel has destroyed hundreds of Muslim cemeteries, including one in order to build the Hilton Hotel in Tel Aviv. Perhaps most disturbingly, Shahak cites a booklet published by the Central Regional Command of the Israeli Army which states that it is permissible, and even encouraged, to kill civilians encountered in war. "In war, when our forces storm the enemy, they are allowed and even enjoined by the Halakhah to kill even good civilians, that is, civilians who are ostensibly good." In a footnote, Shahak mentions that this booklet was withdrawn from circulation on the command of the Chief of Staff, but he nonetheless, believes that even the brief appearance of such a text can only be explained by an accurate assessment of the inequality in Jewish tradition between the lives of Jews and non-Jews.
You'll never learn about this guy in the media, Si Kaddour Benghabrit: He was an Arab who saved many Jews during WW II. After the war Jewish people showed their gratitude by seizing Arab land and massacring the inhabitants.
Many Enlightenment figures admired Islam as a religion devoted to Deism rather than superstition. Here's Edward Gibbon: "The Mahometans have uniformly withstood the temptation of reducing the object of their faith and devotion to a level with the senses and imagination of man. 'I believe in One God and Mahomet the Apostle of God' is the simple and invariable profession of Islam. The intellectual image of the Deity has never been degraded by any visible idol; the honors of the prophet have never transgressed the measure of human virtue, and his living precepts have restrained the gratitude of his disciples within the bounds of reason and religion." In contrast Enlightenment thinkers often despised Jews. Here's an article about Voltaire: Voltaire and the Jews
Do you actually know any Muslims or have you ever lived in a Muslim country?? Meanwhile, in Sharjah .. the emirates ...a 20,000 seat Russian Orthodox church has opened. Its designed with 7 huge gold crosses on the exterior. Jews are NOT under threat anywhere in the world except in the occupied territories.. but Zionism must maintain a high degree of fear and paranoia to survive.
No preference. I don't believe that cherry picking flaws on one and the other and comparing them would make me "choose" any one of them. They are both guilty, and to pretty much the same extent, to what I feel is worst about religion, mixing religion and politics. Both sides use religion as justification and rhetoric and that's where they both lose in my book. One might technically be better, but not so to the extent that they deserve a better ranking in an online poll, and with today's media and reporting, the ways to discypher which one is better is harder than passing the judgement.
It's a good point Margot. The United Arab Emirates has many churches. And Jews in Iran are treated well. What Irans Jews Say
These sort of organizations are usually kept hidden in the Western media: International Islamic Charitable Organizations
I have no preferance. I believe we are to treat each person with respect. I think it is wrong to demonize a whole group of people, no matter what. In stead we are to try and work together for peace. One good thing that can be said that relates all three Abrahamic religions together, is that we each strive to worship God, to live holy and rightous, moral lives and that we are looking towards a similar end goal, live of peace.
Its just like Christianity, without the savior and more legalistic. But the main goal is to live moral lives.
More drivel. What has the action of an Algerian got to do with palestine? Obviously Judaism is better.
Yes,... The OT is about Patriarchy. It is the argument that the Jews made, that sexually promiscuous societies develop father families which means the kids are bastards who start tearing down inside, while enemies outside see a target which is getting too weak to defend itself. Islam duplicated this idea and called it Sharia. At issue is what Jesus taught, that Patriarchies tearing down successful Matriarchies is not the solution. The solution is to see the truth, and moderate sexual behaviors, so that two parents raise the kids. This done by opposing Feminism, raising girls to look forward to motherhood, not Barbie dolls, and teaching guys to marry any "mistakes" they may and will make.
What about the disrespect for Truth which is the son of the Reality that governs us all? The Jews pretend that Truth is not the son of Reality, and pretend that God is some spirit thing we should bow down before, instead of Truth that describes Reality for us. The Jews deny that sanity requires we live in Reality, not some priestly twist of scripture that says otherwise.
Secularism,...? Zechariah 8:1 Again the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, 2 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury. 3 Thus saith the Lord; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the Lord of hosts the holy mountain.
