read here…
Falwell Calls Muhamaad ‘Terrorist’
:nook:
Rab Rakha
DerVaisH
"Muhammad was a terrorist", Falwell says,
Falwell Calls Muhammad 'Terrorist'
Thu Oct 3, 5:11 PM ET
By RICHARD N. OSTLING, AP Religion Writer
NEW YORK (AP) - The Rev. Jerry Falwell says "I think Muhammad was a terrorist" in an interview to be broadcast Sunday on the CBS program "60 Minutes."
The conservative Baptist minister tells correspondent Bob Simon he has concluded from reading Muslim and non-Muslim writers that Islam's prophet "was a — a violent man, a man of war."
"Jesus set the example for love, as did Moses," Falwell says. "I think Muhammad set an opposite example."
CBS released a partial transcript of the interview Thursday. Falwell's comments occur in a segment about American conservative Christians' political support for Israel.
Falwell stood by his opinion in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. He said Simon asked directly whether Falwell considered Muhammad a terrorist and he tried to reply honestly. The minister said he would never state his opinion in a sermon or book.
"I've said often and many places that most Muslims are people of peace and want peace and tranquility for their families and abhor terrorism," Falwell said. "Islam, like most faiths, has a fringe of radicals who carry on bloodshed wherever they are. They do not represent Islam."
Other conservative Protestant clergy have made sharply critical remarks about Islam and Muhammad in the past year. They include Franklin Graham, Billy Graham's son and successor, TV evangelist Pat Robertson and leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention.
In response to Falwell's remarks, Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relation in Washington, said: "Anybody is free to be a bigot if they want to. What really concerns us is the lack of reaction by mainstream religious and political leaders, who say nothing when these bigots voice these attacks."
Hooper noted that Falwell and Robertson will speak at next week's Christian Coalition convention in Washington alongside House Majority Whip Tom DeLay and other politicians.
"How can these elected representatives legitimize this kind of hate speech by appearing on the same platform with Islamophobes and Muslim-bashers?" Hooper asked.
Falwell was widely criticized last year after he said on Robertson's TV show that pagans, abortionists, feminists, homosexuals and civil liberties groups had secularized the nation and helped the Sept. 11 attacks happen. Falwell later apologized.
Pat Robertson describes Islam as violent religion that wants to dominate
NORFOLK, Va. — Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson drew criticism Friday from Arab-Americans for describing Islam as a violent religion that wants to "dominate and then, if need be, destroy."
Robertson made the comment Thursday on his "700 Club" television program, after watching a segment about Muslims' views on the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, U.S. foreign policy and the nature of Islam.
"Robertson was only responding to what some American Muslims are saying themselves," Robertson spokeswoman Angell Watts said in a statement Friday.
During the broadcast, co-host Lee Webb asked Robertson why he thought Muslim immigrants would want to live in the United States "if they have such contempt for our foreign policy."
Robertson replied: "Well, as missionaries possibly to spread the doctrine of Islam."
"But, ladies and gentlemen, I have taken issue with our esteemed president in regard to his stand in saying Islam is a peaceful religion," Robertson continued. "It's just not. And the Koran makes it very clear, if you see an infidel, you are to kill him."
Robertson said Islam "is not a peaceful religion that wants to coexist. They want to coexist until they can control, dominate and then, if need be, destroy."
"The rhetoric is exactly the same as traditional anti-Semitism. All you can do is change the word 'Jew' to 'Arab' or 'Muslim,' " said Hussein Ibish, spokesman for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, a Washington-based civil rights group. He said he did not know how many members the group has but that about half are Muslims and half are Christians.
He said remarks like Robertson's and the Rev. Franklin Graham's comment to NBC last fall that Islam "is a very evil and wicked religion" are a "slightly warmed-over version of the hatred that led to the Holocaust."
The Rev. Barry Lynn, a frequent Robertson critic and executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said the "episode is just one in a long history of Robertson's bigotry toward non-Christians."
"Robertson is literally running out of people to hate," Lynn said from Washington. "He's already identified almost everyone as a bad group except people who see the world as he does."
Watts said Robertson's comments were related to a news report in which Muslims interviewed by his Virginia Beach-based Christian Broadcasting Network staff were quoted as saying things such as, "America has a lot of enemies, anyone will wish this blow to this country, because it is not fair in its foreign policy."
"Robertson is bringing to the American people the truth that we must all be aware of — that militant Islam is dedicated to the destruction of America and the killing of the Jews and Christians around the world," Watts said. "To deny that the Koran promotes violence to many followers would be to deny the truth."
In 1997, Muslim leaders demanded that Robertson apologize for saying on his program that converting to Islam "is nothing short of insanity" because it is the religion of those who sold Africans into slavery. A Robertson spokeswoman said at the time that his remarks were taken out of context.
After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Robertson drew criticism for agreeing with the Rev. Jerry Falwell during a "700 Club" broadcast when Falwell said the attacks happened because Americans had insulted God by allowing abortion, feminism and pornography.
Falwell later apologized, and Robertson issued a statement calling Falwell's remarks "severe and harsh in tone" and saying he had not fully understood the comment. Previously, Robertson had said terrorism "is happening because God Almighty is lifting his protection from us" because of abortion and "rampant Internet pornography."
Sad...
Our Prophet (PBUH) was a man of peace and 'violence' was the thing that he probably hated the most. In his remembrance, his friends made sure that no bloodshed took place in his beloved city after he died. He hated violence and oppression so much, that he even made sure animals were treated fairly...
As for this rev. Fallwell, isnt he the same ignoramus who accused all the major minority groups in the US to have paved way to 9/11... Later he had to apologize, and I wouldnt be surprised if he goes ahead and apologizes for his absurd remarks.
Bush is a terrorist and everybody knows it 
As the CAIR spokesman put it, freedom of speech allows anyone to be a bigot.
why is that there was so much uproar in muslim world against Salman Rushdie and Taslima Nasreen for writing fiction against Islam and Muhammad but there is deepening silence against Pat and Jerry?
and BTW what does Pakistan's famous Basphemy law says about Pat and Jerry?
falwell is a christian fundamentalist. Interesting to see that ppl like him get so much support here. get TV shows, rub shoulders with politicians. And then the papers wonder about inflrunce of fundamentalists in other countries.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/F/Falwell.asp
(fôl´wel, -wel) , 1933-, American fundamentalist Baptist pastor, b. Lynchburg, Va. A popular preacher, Falwell began (1968) airing his services on television on a program that was later named “The Old-Time Gospel Hour.” Falwell founded (1979) and led (1979-87) the Moral Majority , an organization devoted to reestablishing traditional religious values in the national consciousness through support of conservative political candidates (see also fundamentalism ). Falwell now heads the Liberty Alliance (est. 1991).
He is a moron just like his old buddy JIm Bakker, still interesting to see how much influence can hate mongers have here.
I wonder if the Ayatollahs in Iran would declare a fatwa against him like Rushdie. Or are edicts like those reserved for muslims only?
They certainly should. The guy is an idiot.
Ok so how can I/We contact these people in a dignified manner to tell them that their informational show is making a mockery of Our Prophet and should set the records straight?
WE NEED TO BE HEARD!
cocnut we can write to the media outlets and explain why this upsets people. sadly too many ppl will not use their brain and just send letters full of anger. :) thats our shortfall, get all riled up, get all angry, and then just lose credibility.
Hey as long as main stream media here is going to allow bigots and fundamentalists liek falwell airtime and people like him have huge following, it just proves that there are fundamentalists everywhere and they have their stupid followers everywhere too.
Falwell's business is prolly hurting due to the economy, so a publicity stunt for him to have his moronic supporters send him more money.
televangelists heh...what a breed.
Well said!! :k:
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Fraudz: *
sadly too many ppl will not use their brain and just send letters full of anger. :) thats our shortfall, get all riled up, get all angry, and then just lose credibility.
[/QUOTE]
Is it just a metter of credibility? what about our obligation and rights to that person (Pbuh), in this case we should all get angry and show for once how much Islam is dependent upon Muhamed(pbuh).
Just as a reminder I am posting this again (even though thanks to our mods for deleting it once, Already).
TMQ 9:24
Say: If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your kindred, the wealth that you have gained, the commerce in which you fear a decline, and the dwellings in which you delight … are dearer to you than Allâh and His Messenger, and striving hard and fighting in His Cause, then wait until Allâh brings about His Decision (torment). And Allâh guides not the people who are Al-Fâsiqûn (the rebellious, disobedient to Allâh).
Re: "Muhammad was a terrorist", Falwell says,
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by analyze it: *
**The Rev. Jerry Falwell says "I think Muhammad was a terrorist" in an interview to be broadcast Sunday on the CBS program "60 Minutes."
"I've said often and many places that most Muslims are people of peace and want peace and tranquility for their families and abhor terrorism," Falwell said. "Islam, like most faiths, has a fringe of radicals who carry on bloodshed wherever they are. They do not represent Islam."**
[/QUOTE]
Aren't these two statements mutually exclusive?
If "radical" Muslims "do not represent Islam" then Prophet Muhammad (s) himself couldn't have been a radical since he represents true Islam.
Likewise, if "Muslims are people of peace and want peace" then this implies that Prophet Muhammad (s) himself was a man of peace since he is the one that Muslims emulate. If Muslims want peace, it's only because Prophet Muhammad (s) wanted peace.
So whichever way one looks at it, Falwell shows, whether he realises it or not - and my guess is that he doesn't realise it - that Prophet Muhammad (s) was a non-radical, peaceful person. Thank you Jerry.
Iqbal
I am surprised that so many people think he is only one making these comments or that these words are something new. Medievalist hardliners have been saying such stuff from centuries. Listen to the evangelist shows that come on TV, whever they talk about Islam it is filled with such hatred. Baptists leaders are famous for such remarks. A few years back they passed resolutions in their national conference to Christianize all the Jews in America or throw them out.
If there is a concern, its that a respectable & usually very moderate channel like CBS is showing such an interview. If something like that is coming from Fox, or any of the so called religious channels, it can be expected, but I couldn't expect CBS to give such a bigot so much air time.
What can we do for this specific instance?
- Write to CBS 60 minutes, in which we can express our displeasure for such appalling comment be allowed to air on a respectable network television.
- Write to CBS management in general.
- Make a list of sponsors that showed their commercials (or are planning to show their commercials) during the airing of that program.
- Write/Fax/e-mail to those sponsors.
- Write/Fax/e-mail to your local public representative, so that they know what you think.
If someone needs a general outline of how to write these letters, there are many at gupshup who will be more than happy to lend a hand.
What can we do in general, which is more important?
1) Personal Contacts: Hatred towards Islam & Muslim is quite openly propagated in the media. Lot has to do with "fear of the unknown". Most Americans are generally mild people & consider religion very personal. Don't expect them to come to you and ask questions regarding what they saw on TV. Take initiative yourself & bring up the topic, with confidence, patience & stead fastness, listen to their views and be ready to give an answer in the best possible way.
2) Seerat-un-Nabi (saw): Hold meetings on Seerat-un-Nabi (saw) at your house. Where the teachings & life of the Holy Prophet (saw) be talked about to all that are present and by all means invite your neighbors & friends. If such meetings are held in mosques, most Non-Muslims shy away from coming. Start small with a few friends of close circle.
3) Seminars: In universities, schools & colleges do seminars, not just on Islam but specifically on Life of Muhammad (saw). Invite Non-Muslim scholars to come speak about him & also let them speak about their religious leaders. Building bridges should be the goal!
4) Prayers - Dua - because no matter how hard we all try, in the end it's Allah who changes hearts & brings humanity together.
A few hatemonger should not make us shun away from the tolerant masses! Let the forgiving & humble life of the Holy Prophet (saw) guide us to make our society, which ever that maybe, a peaceful place for all the citizens.
Well, in America, the negative details about a few religions have surfaced recently. There are a few that remain below the radar, however. The two that come to mind are some "faces" of Judaism and Hinduism. The US impression of both are not exactly true to the reality, in depth.
Its really sad that muslims are suffering. If you look at history, well i dont know about america, but in canada back in early 1900's jews were victims of hate crime and it was soo bad that they were not even able to goto Universities because they were JEWISH. But since they have a strong community support, they went back to their community and raised some money and opened up their OWN university which is called "YORK UNIVERSITY" of toronto, and Now in 2002 everyone wants to go to YORK UNIVERSITY!!
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by ahmadjee: *
I am surprised that so many people think he is only one making these comments or that these words are something new. Medievalist hardliners have been saying such stuff from centuries. Listen to the evangelist shows that come on TV, whever they talk about Islam it is filled with such hatred. Baptists leaders are famous for such remarks. A few years back they passed resolutions in their national conference to Christianize all the Jews in America or throw them out.
If there is a concern, its that a respectable & usually very moderate channel like CBS is showing such an interview. If something like that is coming from Fox, or any of the so called religious channels, it can be expected, but I couldn't expect CBS to give such a bigot so much air time.
What can we do for this specific instance?
- Write to CBS 60 minutes, in which we can express our displeasure for such appalling comment be allowed to air on a respectable network television.
- Write to CBS management in general.
- Make a list of sponsors that showed their commercials (or are planning to show their commercials) during the airing of that program.
- Write/Fax/e-mail to those sponsors.
- Write/Fax/e-mail to your local public representative, so that they know what you think.
If someone needs a general outline of how to write these letters, there are many at gupshup who will be more than happy to lend a hand.
What can we do in general, which is more important?
1) Personal Contacts: Hatred towards Islam & Muslim is quite openly propagated in the media. Lot has to do with "fear of the unknown". Most Americans are generally mild people & consider religion very personal. Don't expect them to come to you and ask questions regarding what they saw on TV. Take initiative yourself & bring up the topic, with confidence, patience & stead fastness, listen to their views and be ready to give an answer in the best possible way.
2) Seerat-un-Nabi (saw): Hold meetings on Seerat-un-Nabi (saw) at your house. Where the teachings & life of the Holy Prophet (saw) be talked about to all that are present and by all means invite your neighbors & friends. If such meetings are held in mosques, most Non-Muslims shy away from coming. Start small with a few friends of close circle.
3) Seminars: In universities, schools & colleges do seminars, not just on Islam but specifically on Life of Muhammad (saw). Invite Non-Muslim scholars to come speak about him & also let them speak about their religious leaders. Building bridges should be the goal!
4) Prayers - Dua - because no matter how hard we all try, in the end it's Allah who changes hearts & brings humanity together.
A few hatemonger should not make us shun away from the tolerant masses! Let the forgiving & humble life of the Holy Prophet (saw) guide us to make our society, which ever that maybe, a peaceful place for all the citizens.
[/QUOTE]
Can anyone get the email address for Viacom & CBS for me
ahmadjee can you help me write the letter to Viacom & CBS and I would also like to sent a copy to my senator and governer Rick Perry & CAIR.
"I am writing to you to express my extreme disappointment with the recent decision by CBS 60 minutes to broadcast an interview with Rev. Jerry Falwell whose anti-Islamic remarks have angered the whole Muslim community through out the world. During the Interview Rev. Jerry Falwell says "I think Muhammad was a terrorist", This is show that Rev Falwell is noting more then a bigots and racist. I believe giving Rev. Falwell air time will only send a message that such bigoted speech will not only be tolerated, but rewarded."
Controversy=ratings!