Myth Blaster: Nationalism Confused for Patriotism; Religion and Government; Islam and Islamic Fascism and the Statement that Senator Obama is a Muslim in Disguise

Diane S., Wisconsin sent email concerning two subject materials, which has prompted me to write a rebuttal, as well as put it to the test and calling the author’s bluff in regards to noble statesmanship becoming a political circus sideshow – complete with nasty accusations coming from both sides of the political aisle.

Don’t be disturbed – instead get enlightened – this does not represent anything… First the email and then my analysis:

CAN MUSLIMS BE GOOD AMERICANS?

This is very interesting and we all need to read it  from start to Finish and send it on to anyone who will read  it. Maybe this is why our American Muslims are so quiet and not speaking out about any atrocities. Can a good Muslim be a good American? This question was forwarded to a friend
who worked in Saudi Arabia for 20 years. The following is his reply:
Theologically – no . . . Because his allegiance is to Allah, The moon God of Arabia
Religiously – no. . . Because no other religion is accepted by His Allah except Islam (Quran, 2:256)(Koran)
Scripturally – no. . . Because his allegiance is to the five Pillars of Islam and the Quran.
Geographically – no . Because his allegiance is to Mecca , to which he turns in prayer five times a day.
Socially – no. . . Because his allegiance to Islam forbids him to make friends with Christians or Jews.
Politically – no. . . Because he must submit to the mullahs (spiritual leaders), who teach annihilation of Israel and destruction of America , the great Satan.
Domestically – no. . Because he is instructed to marry four Women and beat and scourge his wife when she disobeys him
(Quran 4:34)
Intellectually – no. . Because he cannot accept the American Constitution since it is based on Biblical principles and he believes the Bible to be corrupt.
Philosophically – no. . . Because Islam, Muhammad, and the Quran does not allow freedom of religion and expression. Democracy and Islam cannot co-exist. Every Muslim government is either dictatorial or autocratic.
Spiritually – no. . . Because when we declare
‘one nation under God,’ the Christian’s God is loving and kind, while Allah is NEVER referred to as Heavenly father, nor is he ever called love in The Quran’s 99 excellent names. Therefore, after much study and deliberation….
Perhaps we should be very suspicious of ALL MUSLIMS in this country. – - – They obviously cannot be both ‘good’ Muslims and good Americans.

Myth Blaster Verdict: As follows …

1. Theologically – no … theologically Americans are from everywhere, either natural citizens or through ancestry, and theoretically the only TRUE American are the Native Americans, or as the modern American Indian prefers – First Nation people. There are Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, Hebrew (Jews), Islamic, agnostic, Gnostic, Baptist, Protestants, and Catholic (formerly known as Roman Catholics, based on the first Christian organization, and atheists who believe in nothing at all. There is no reason, if the Constitution is adhered to, that these people cannot live together. As far as Islamic “extremists” (fascists) – NO one can live with them, and certainly are not welcome here – because they HATE all the aforementioned believing in a caliphate or Sharia Law government which is called a theocracy. “Allah” is the one true God – the same God of the Jews, which Jesus was born as. Moon God makes it sound pagan, even if the person who wrote this is referring to the Crescent used in all Islamic flags – including Turkey, our long-established ally and member of NATO (where I spent 4.5 years_ with a headquarters in Izmir (Smyrna in ancient times), Turkey (Anatolia).

America under the articles and amendments of the Constitution not only separates the church from the state (supposed to), but guarantee freedom of religion; however, freedom of religion, the Constitution and the American government does not mean believing in and practicing a religion that institutes or encourages violence and the destruction of other religions. There are Muslims who are against such things as what you read in the paper. Finally the are coming out into the open and denouncing Islamic fascists who use terrorism as part of their tactical effort to overcome everyone else.

2. Scripturally – No … What does scriptures have to do with being an American (other than members of Congress using it as a guideline to the conduct of congressional members) – but even so, being a Christian is NOT a requirement to be an American, although I know some who would want it that way, and, in that case, it is the way they choose to interpret – like the author of this chain email. Allegiance to … most legal immigrants assimilate to their adopted country – those who do not are certainly not there to be a true, loyal citizen. No argument there; however, this person obviously has only been in Saudi Arabia, who are strict caliphate theocracy – not a republic like Turkey. I enjoyed the friendship of Muslims and was treated with respect, because I did the same. They never tried to convert me, nor I them. When discussing philosophy with Mustafa, a friend for almost the entire time spent there (4.5 years) and we got on the subject of religion, he would explain his customs and beliefs and I listened. That was it. He already knew about Christianity, he spent his time in the Army during the Korean War where NATO was involved for the first time and was assigned as an attachment unit with Americans. He enjoyed visiting on Christmas because he liked the traditional ways and presented to me a hand made manger as a Christmas present one year when he found that I was making in ceramics class (sponsored by local USO) a complete nativity set to put beneath my Christmas tree. NO one can tell me that Muslims and Christians and Jews cannot live together. My neighbors were Jews whose family goes back to when they escaped persecution in Spain in the 1930s, when Hitler was making his move to power. The husband worked locally and, of course, spoke Turkish and very little English, but his wife spoke English, Spanish, Turkish and Hebrew. It was quite an enlightening experience. No Turkish Muslim ever bothered these people and they were respected Turkish citizens in the community. It is quite unfortunate that more Islamic nations would make Turkey the model country. Of course, this was in the 1980s, and since then Kurds and other Muslims have moved to Turkey and there is talk in some circles of bringing their religion back into government (but it is forbidden in their constitution). Many Iraq have hoped to have a similar setup as far as government and Iraqi society – but extremists have barred the way from the very beginning – many who are not even citizens of that nation (Iraq). The complexity of all this is much too long to write here – but I think you get the idea. Just as there are fanatics and hypocrites in Christianity, thus there are within Islam.
3. Geographically – NO … This is absurd. Prayers are made facing toward wherever Mecca is located, wherever the Muslim may be. Did you know that once upon a time early Christians would pray turned towards where Jerusalem was from their location? Does this mean they were not loyal to whatever nation they declared citizenship and their loyalty? We must be on the guard for false friends who are behind the various factions or supporting Islamic fascists in secret; however, do we want to turn an ally against us by making such statements showing only their ignorance of any culture except their own – and even worse making like ALL true Americans are Christians? The majority of Turkish people in Turkey are Muslim, but Jews and Christians live there in peace. It is because Muhammad stated clearly in his writings (not the rhetoric that was later used like the “jihadists” use today) that Jews and Christians are the People of the Book and therefore must be shown respect. Mohammad felt they both had lost their way in terms of the one true God (Allah, an Arabic word for God). And, like the Orthodox Jew, in respect to followers of Jesus of Nazareth, The Christ, (Yeshua – Hebrew name) had begun to deify a prophet, teach and philosopher of the Jewish faith, who like Mohammad had a new message for humanity and how to live life on Earth anticipating a better reward when one leaves the material world. Mohammad was a learned man and knew full well of the scriptures that describe Mother Mary, the Virgin Birth, the Miracles of Jesus, as well as the Resurrection after Jesus died (this one is complex and varies between scholars, as far) . It is mentioned briefly here and there in the Qu’ran and Koranic scholarly writings based upon Muhammad’s text. How could he possibly denounce Christians and their good deeds when his very life was saved by a Christian king in a small kingdom that prevented representatives of Mecca to take him back in chains to stand trial for treason? Theology, human religious endeavors, is one of my passions to discuss and read – because of my love of philosophy and history. Philosophical religions are several beyond Hebrew, Christian and Islamic scriptures – one can find it elsewhere in ancient scriptural text. Once again – apples and oranges – do not insult the Muslim who wants peace with other peoples whether they believe in Islam or not – we then will be making more enemies. I have in draft a manuscript that has taken over ten years to research – using the opportunity I had living among folks of Islamic faith, discussing philosophy with Buddhists. Unfortunately, my personal experience does not include personal discussions with Hindu – I have read as much as possible from the availability and access of the libraries of the world, and anywhere I was stationed one of my endeavors was to visit local book shops seeking unique and rare books on theology, philosophy and other interests. A friend in the US Air Force was a Mormon, and his wife found out about my research and presented to me the Mormon Bible as a gift. It resides along with many other books of philosophy and theology in my personal library.
Bottom line … the person who wrote this is walking through life with blinders on his/her eyes – only seeing what they only want to see, and never learning interesting thoughts, events and beliefs from anyone else or any other culture. That is NOT American. The Statue of Liberty was a gift of France, and that gift has become a symbol of welcome to anyone who wishes to come to America (through the proper processing because of reasons we should know and understand) – anyone was welcome. The few requirements were: (1) learn English – written and spoken; (2) learn about the Constitution, how it was created and why, and American traditions et cetera – in this way a person becomes an American. Nothing in the Constitution of the United States implies that a citizen must believe the same theological beliefs that has been the tradition of America and in one God (Allah Arabic, Yahweh; Hebrew; Jehovah, Hebrew; Elohim, Aramaic, a language that Jesus spoke along with Hebrew and probably some Latin); et cetera) – monotheism is not unique to one religion nor are the word usage among languages – there are approximately 80 versions of the word God in different languages and dialects. And, to be truthful, other cultures are confused about Christians who profess to be monotheistic, yet pray to their Son of God, instead of God, the Supreme Deity, and as proclaimed in the Ten Commandments …

First Commandment: I am the Lord thy god, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Second Commandment: Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
Third Commandment: Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
Fourth Commandment: Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
Fifth Commandment: Honor thy father and thy mother.
Sixth Commandment: Thou shalt not murder.
Seventh Commandment: Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Eighth Commandment: Thou shalt not steal.
Ninth Commandment: Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
Ten Commandment: Thou shalt not covet anything that belongs to thy neighbor.

Most of these simple rules are in place in any civilized nation of the world.

4. Socially No – I sat with Bedouin tribesman in polite discussion and shared tea and wonderful little homemade cakes in front of their traditional nomadic tents – instead of a camel tied up outside, a Toyota pickup truck. They had camped near where my unit set up headquarters preparing for the Liberation of Kuwait. I, and my comrades, was foreigners. We were not Muslim, yet we were treated as honored guests. The Islamic Fascist is an extremist – a false Muslim. Their gospel is hate, their tool is terrorism, and their goal is world domination. The Bedouin tribesman was content in living his life as his fathers and his ancestry that goes far back as they had done, yet still modernizing into the world; yet never losing their beliefs. They had no animosity towards me because I had none toward them. Do we wish to make them think Americans as ugly? Uncouth? Egotistical? How are we going to have a proper foreign policy, diplomacy, if we wrongly put a group into one basket?

As I stated before, there are signs on the Internet and elsewhere of Muslims from all over the world speaking up against those who desecrate their religion by making all think they are murderous hateful thugs. It is the beginning of a new trend – let us utilize it and grow OUR numbers within free nations, not increase the many in the camps of our enemy. Unfortunately, this movement has been going on for at least fifty years and children have been brainwashed into thinking vile things about others, especially Jews. We must approach the moderate (term coined from media) Muslim with hands stretched forth in friendship and a common bond to fight against those who have evil ways and desecrate the true Muslim’s belief that Muslims, Jews and Christians are

People of the Book. Thus it was written by Mohammad the Prophet, and thus it shall be.

While there are those who profess to be Muslims who think and believe they are or trying to resurrect the Crusades (as well as some Christians) – it is not only so, but it CANNOT be made so. It is not the road to peace. We must strike against the Islamic fascist, deep within its organization and kill the tiger by cutting off its head – not its tail. We must stop the flow of funds and let it be known to supporters that such things will no longer be tolerated; and we must not have a policy where we make allies our enemies.

Yet, we cannot possibly allow infiltration of our society, our government, our schools, our courts of law, et cetera; like we are seeing in other places in the Western world of free nations and formulating here, using our system of tolerance against us. We must tread lightly in some areas, and as Teddy Roosevelt said –

Speak softly and carry a big stick.

If we do not win, the word freedom will no longer mean anything – and our children and their children will no longer know what it is like – let us not leave them such a terrible legacy. This is the United States of America, which means states united under one purpose, under the Constitution and its amendments, made up of people of different ethnicity, religion and race – yet in common bond.

The rest of this email is just the same nonsensical, egotistical and untruthful rhetoric if an ignorant and maybe, racist, person. World peace is achieved by mutual agreements, respect for each other in culture and other ways – just plain common sense and the basics of what came down from a mountain in the form of tablets by a man named Moses – whose respected, cherished and honored by Jews, Christians and Muslims alike.

5. Philosophically – No … Read above.

…. Domestically – NO … This “quote” (Quran 4:23) from the Sūra or sometimes spelled Surah (Arabic for chapter/section, but its literal meaning is:

…something enclosed or surrounded by a fence or wall

…isn’t any different than the quotes that can be taken from the Old Testament within the Christian Bible – by extracting one verse from the chapter, instead of the surrounding verses or the entire chapter. For that matter, the same applies to the Torah, most commonly referred to as the Five Books of Moses or Pentateuch. All the writers of these sacred texts wrote in terms of their times, its translations, and thus meaning.

The Bible is a bit more organized than the Qu’ran, but it is still broken down in many ways similar – and both are clearly different. The Qu’ran is THE book, whereas the Bible is many books and it is further divided into two major sections – Old and New Testament. This is an exact quote from the Qu’ran from my English/Arabic rare 1932 copy of an approved translation that I was lucky to get while in Turkey, thanks to a friend who knew a bookstore proprietor who spoke English, and thus made another friend. I was a regular there and we would spend at least an hour talking over a cup of tea (Chi):

Sūra 4:23 –

Prohibited to you (for marriage) are your mothers, daughters, Sisters, father’s sisters, Mother’s sisters; brothers daughters, Sister’s daughters; foster-mothers, foster-sisters; Your wives’ mothers; Your step-daughters under your Guardianship, born of your wives To whom ye have gone in, No prohibition if ye not have one in; Wives of your sons, proceeding From your loins; And two sisters in wedlock At one and the same time, Except for what is past; For God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful;

A little different than what the email writer stated, isn’t it? The author of this nonsense stated:

Domestically – NO … Because he is instructed to marry four women and beat and scourge his wife when she disobeys him.

Clearly this author is not just ignorant of what is in the Qu’ran, but like the Islamic Fascist, this person is a bender of words, an outright liar. I wonder if this person is a politician running for office – certainly not a statesman, stateswoman or scholar of any sort. This author uses the same strategy as crafty politicians and members of the media – taking something that few know about and hope they won’t find the source and check it out themselves. It doesn’t work that way here at Lighthouse Patriot Journal – I don’t just create nifty words like Searching for Truth in a Sea of Misinformation – I believe and try to adhere to them with all my energy. Are you not tired of liars and twisted truths? Are you not tired of being fed cow manure and kept in the dark like mushrooms? It is people like this that cause terrible things to happen, reminiscent of a day when lynch mobs occurred from time to time, allowing emotion and prejudice to rule over

This is one of the things that Jesus of Nazareth, the teacher and founder of Christianity tried to convey to the people – and guess what? So did Mohammad and Buddha. Enlightenment and the spiritual enlightenment for the betterment of one’s soul. That was what it is all about, but before I get myself into a theological argument; let me tell you that I am not a true agnostic, but rather likened unto the Gnostic – believing there is more truth in the original founder’s ideology than what came about afterwards in the form of a cult and later into a full-blown religion, which in turn became segments of the original religion and now there are more than several factions. I cannot possibly go into details about this – it would take at least one volume, but more likely three volumes to cover all the aspects of his teachings, his philosophy as well as his life and purpose; as well as what I have studied in the relationship of religion and the history of humans – and what each of them mean to the person who is a follower of that particular religion. This sort of thing was common during the time period the text was written. That is about as simple as I can make against that statement.

But I digress…

Sura 4:23 clearly is a prohibitive statement against incest. Clearly this is also doctrine in Christianity, when speaking of the New Testament. The Old Testament is a book section of books (as with New, except mostly letters to those the Apostles they gave speeches to) compromising of poetry and history. IN Ezekiel, Chapter 23:10 & 47, Bible, KJ version, for example:

These discovered her nakedness: they took her sons and her daughters, and slew her with the sword: and she became famous among women; for they had executed judgment upon her.[10]

And the company shall stone them with stones, and dispatch them with their swords, they shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses with fire. [47]

The Caliphate, the Sharia Law followers cannot follow a Constitution – but did anyone ever think that Muslims (not the underground fascists) came here to get away from such tyranny?

YES, we must insist upon assimilation – that is the only way to retain our sovereignty. Actually our immigration laws are lax compared to other nations (not all).

The road ahead is going to be difficult in this war of a type that has not been seen since the Crusades, and I only use that term because the enemy bases on misconceptions of a religion, as well as the mindset of the medieval world, et cetera.

This means we need leadership with a steady hand, a wise and logical mind, and understanding of what is involved, how we got here, and what must be done to end this world-wide conflagration in the name of Allah. It will not be won by this sort of mentality. America will not regain or gain respect by stooping to the enemies tactics or attitudes. It will, and is, a war of not just military, but a war against a delusional ideology – and in that respect, I can agree with John Maszka and those he quotes in his essay in what he asked and was denied to print, but after much discussion with Mr. Maszka, decided that an alternate view must be printed, with my commentary. [Click here]. I denied it because it stated that the only way to peace with Islamic fascists is discussion and verbal interaction (the gist, there is more to the discussion). NO.

WE must be strong and stand up against aggressors – but we must also be humanitarians and demonstrate that we will not tolerate global conquering of any nation by anyone – yet not disrespect peaceful Muslims who are trapped in the middle. The world doesn’t need to go backwards in time, living in medieval conditions and under medieval-minded leadership; we need to strengthen our ties and meet the unified goals of tomorrow for the betterment of generations to come. Americans are liberators – not conquerors, despite this impression given by the political left and its media minion – as well as socialist elements abroad.

Diane, I am glad you sent this to me. Trust me, this is a complex subject and I had to whittle it down into something brief, but yet pointing out the context of the “big picture” of the situation – and a definite rebuttal against whoever wrote this nonsense. This is not patriotism, this is nationalism – and nationalism doesn’t belong in America. We were founded by Patriots and we must still be patriots, but not how this person describes the idea of what an American is.

Muslims CAN be good Americans, like anyone else or whatever theological belief – as long as they keep their religion out of our politics – and this means American Christians too. This is why America used to be called the Melting Pot – today we do not need diversification, we need an array of people from different places to be an American and truly know what it is to be an American. Does this person writing this really portray Americans? I pray not. If so, we are just as egotistical, hypocritical, selfish, and vain as our enemies.

And, the author concludes:

And Barack Hussein Obama, a Muslim, wants to be our President? You have got to be kidding! Wake up America! Obama even says if he wins the election, he will be sworn in on the Quran – not a Bible!
Footnote: He was sworn in on the Quran for his current office and he refuses to pledge allegiance to the United States or put his hand over his heart when the National Anthem is played! The Muslims have said they will destroy us from within. Hello! Having a Muslim president would seem to fit the bill! Will you trust this man with our national secrets?

Myth Blaster Verdict: I have already addressed the first part of this email as not only fabrication – but a lie when it comes to the “quote” from the Qu’ran, and the problem that could arise if these sorts of thing become mainstream, as far as what American citizens think about the war against Islamic Fascism. The second part is addressing the things written about Senator Obama …

Barack Hussein Obama, a Muslim … clearly the presidential candidate has a Muslim name, Arabic to be specific, whose father was Kenyan, a Muslim, supposedly becoming an agnostic; however, returned back to Kenya to reestablish relationship with his family – deserting Barack and his mother. We have been through this before – so I will continue. Snopes addresses this issue; however, it leaves out one important factor: While Senator Obama is definitely a member of a Christian church as well as community, in the eyes and laws of Islam, because his father was Muslim, he is, of sorts, still a Muslim or rather a background of being born a Muslim. While this does not make sense to us in the Western Hemisphere, it is conceivable and understandable in the Islamic world. While Barack is indeed a Christian, a practicing one for at least twenty years, the things I have mentioned were truth – his minister and mentor is a flat out racist and has made vile speeches against America in an un-American way, and in a way demonstrating the man’s prejudice. If this man was Barack’s mentor for 20 years, doesn’t that part give the voter a moment of reflective thinking and pause?

Senator Barack has publicly shown his character or rather the possibility of having negative aspects in his character by his associations. While there are several questions about Senator Obama’s character and background – being a closet Muslim is not one of them. And his name? Well, do any of us have the choice of what name we get at birth? Actually, according to the autobiography, Barack Hussein Obama, Sr., was indeed a Muslim, but became an atheist by the time he attended college for whatever reasons known only to him. Barack, Jr., was only two years old when his father left for Kenya, never to return – but not until he attended Harvard University. And, yes, by the way, Senator Barack’s father did indeed herd goats in his youth because that was Barack Jr’s grandfather’s livelihood.

Now on to the second statement:

Obama even says if he wins the election, he will be sworn in on the Quran …

This has been not just spread via the chain email circuit, but on web sites, especially blogs. [See also related article at Truth or Fiction]

I have found no linked source of anything Senator Obama has said that closely resembles this statement – not even at No Quarter blog site.

In my opinion, although it has become a long-time tradition, no religious book should be present for swearing in unless the person/candidate asks for it. No record of Senator Obama looking for a loophole to get around this American tradition. Therefore, this is FALSE.

He refuses to pledge allegiance to the United States …

This is the part that is true. TRUE. I like Snopes analysis …

The photograph is real … It’s difficult to judge exactly what’s going on from a single still image. (It’s possible, for example, that the photograph captured an instant [instance] just before or just after the national anthem was played …

Don’t get me wrong, this election had been interesting, to say the least. But my non-support of Senator Obama has nothing to do with this and other false allegations. The questions (and some answers) as in terms known to folks in the his circle of associations, his voting record (and the fact that it appears that Obama is more interested in the campaign than important topics and issues arising in Washington for Senator Obama to address. Instead, the American political left focuses on persons of history – through the various ages of human kind and promotes a before-the-election campaign of negative ads that causes those who haven’t performed their homework to vote the way the Democratic Party club wishes the public to do on Election Day.

I think that our nation’s sovereignty, the waging of war against Islamic Fascism, the serious issue concerning illegal immigration and why it must be reduced to a trickle, especially during a period of a bad economic situation nationally. And based upon those facts, not political rhetoric, do I make my choice clear for November 4^th, all the while not wanting either person in office as President of the United States.

As far as Sūra 2:256:

Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out Clear from Error: whoever Rejects Evil and believes in God haith grasped The most trustworthy. Hand-Hold, that never breaks, And God heareth and knoweth all things.