From Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_Stevens
Yusuf Islam, formerly known by his stage name Cat Stevens (born Steven Demetre Georgiou on 21 July 1948 in London, UK), is an English musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator, philanthropist and prominent convert to Islam.
xxx
Stevens converted to Islam at the height of his fame in [...]

I have an original DVD copy of this a much watch documentary film. I order this last year.

Documentary by Non-Muslims about Islam & Prophet Muhammad(S)… A good start for every Non-Muslim that wants to know more about Islam.

PLEASE NOTE: This Documentary is very good in General but it contains also some flawed and weak statements that are considered incorrect which is understandable since it’s produced by Non-Muslims. Overall we think this documentary is very informative for every Non-Muslim who dont know anything or little about Islam.

Fourteen hundred years ago, a humble merchant who could not read or write changed the face of Arabia. Today, his influence has spread to every corner of the world including the United States. This is the story Muslims have passed down from generation to generation for 1400 years. It is a story about the merchant, husband, father, statesman and warrior whom they consider the final prophet…, the man whose legacy continues to shape their lives today.

PART 1

This part deals with the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), his early life, his encounter with God Almighty and the birth of the Islam. Islam would become the revitalizing force of a barbaric Arabia, returning people to God and bringing back the monotheistic message of Christianity and Judaism in its most powerful way.: Islam Women were given rights over there husbands, racism was annihilated and the rich were made equal to the poor. This religion is the solution to all of humanities problems and it is important to learn about it today.

PART 2

This part relates the golden age of Islam. A time of great learning when Europe was steeped in the Dark Ages. The building of great works of architecture, reading, writing, mathematics, medicine, and astronomy. Even before the printing press Muslims would have hundreds of scribes writing all at once so they would learn and reproduce the writings.

PART 3

This portion deals with the growing Ottoman Empire, which would control the bridge between 3 continents: Africa, Europe and Asia. This empire would begin at the close of the Crusades until World War I, from the 1300s to 1923. They would rule the entire Middle East and make there way into Europe. Before there was the state of Israel, there was great peace in the Holy Land regulated by the Ottomans.

Other links:

The Making of Islam: Empire of Faith by Robert Gardner, Producer

AN ISLAMIC HISTORY OF EUROPE

In this 90-minute documentary, Rageh Omaar uncovers the hidden story of Europe’s Islamic past and looks back to a golden age when European civilisation was enriched by Islamic learning.

Rageh travels across medieval Muslim Europe to reveal the vibrant civilisation that Muslims brought to the West.

This evocative film brings to life a time when emirs and caliphs dominated Spain and Sicily and Islamic scholarship swept into the major cities of Europe.

His journey reveals the debt owed to Islam for its vital contribution to the European Renaissance.

HAVE YOU HEARD? (lyrics)

Each day we are reminded
and each day we say
there’s not much that we can do
it seems so far away
So we live our lives in silence
pretending not to hear
the voices of our people
The cry is so so clear
Why do we stand by spectating
while our brothers cry jihad?
We are bound by one conviction:
we believe in Allah

Chorus
Have you heard of Kosova, of Afghanistan?
Have you heard of Palestine [2nd chorus: Bosnia]
of Chechan?
Have you heard of all these people
persecuted in their land?
Do you know that all these people are dying for Islam?
Have you heard, have you heard
have you heard?

Each day is like another
Nothing seems to change
Today he’ll lose his brother
Tomorrow will be the same
Yet his faith makes him stronger
he’s come so so far
The pain in his heart is eased
by his love for Allah
O I envy you my brother
in adversity you pray
You know that heaven awaits you
at the end of this day

Chorus

Jherryster: Are you crazy?
Jherryster: that nick makes you seem muxlim and being one of THOSE is not wyze
wyzemoro: im not crazy
wyzemoro: and yes.. i am a Muslim
wyzemoro: do you have a problem with my identity?
Jherryster: I have no problem
Jherryster: I’m not attached to anyone’s religious institution
Jherryster: and the insanity is to attach oneself to a religious institution that does little or nothing to control its bad children
Jherryster: you know, the murderers of infidels
Jherryster: most religious are without merit.
Jherryster: islam is worse than that
Jherryster: I just hope for the sake of you that you’re a good person who doesn’t believe in the part of Islam that prescribes murder and terrorist acts
Jherryster: have I convinced you to give up your muslim beliefs?

And heres the WHOIS:

* [Jherryster] (~Cherryste@c-67-168-94-79.hsd1.wa.comcast.net): Cherry Balingan Widders
* [Jherryster] #davao
* [Jherryster] *.undernet.org :The Undernet Underworld
* [Jherryster] idle 01:16:32, signon: Wed Dec 6 13:45:56
* [Jherryster] End of WHOIS list.

I don’t know what’s in his mind and prejudices us muslim and our Islam religion as a whole. What i’m sure is if i am indeed a crazy person he is a lot crazier than me. Did he convinced me to abandoned my religion? NO! i won’t abandoned my religion because im not yet crazy as crazy as him.

In his chose of words i believe he don’t believe in God as he is not affliated with any religious institutions. So does having a religious affliation makes me crazy or just because im a muslim does makes me crazy? And he is better off and he is normal person since he does not belong to any religious group or maybe don’t believe in God?

Islam doesn’t teach to murder and terrorize innocent civilians. I don’t subscribe to violents acts as much as possible but if someone non-muslims forced us to fight back and retaliate to defend our religion and our Moro identity they will recieved what they want. I never had a fight with my non-muslims friends and you can go to Iligan City to verify my claims. I always settle my differences and misunderstanding with my friends in a diplomatic way.

He defined the Moro identity as being with those murderers of infidels as i use an IRC nickname “wyzemoro“. So being a Moro is not wyze == wise? well yes im not be a wise person but theres so many genious and wise Moro in our Moroland who serves both in the government and non-government institutions.

Everytime i came along with this prejudices and discrimination it pisses me off. I just came from school where we celebrate with the Bishop-Iluma Conference (BUC) and we have our own program for the Mindanao Peace Week. The program was spiced up with our Moro Cultural presentation. I hope not all nor majority of non-muslims are the likes of “Jherryster”. The elusive peace here in Mindanao is far from reach if prejudices and descriminations continues.

1. Office of the Muslims Affiars (OMA)
2. Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo)
3. ARMM Social Fund for Peace and Development (ASFPD) and
4. Mindanao Peace and Development Fund (MPDF).

The current complicated peace process in Mindanao and Peace Talks between GRP-MILF is also one of the OPAPP tasks to implement and supervise. I have bad feelings about this EO 496 on the development of peace process here in Mindanao. This is NOT new to us .. from Moro Department and Mindanao Affairs during the Colonial American period? Same office to pacify our right to self-determination and freedom but with different branding names.

Why? It’s because OPAPP is headed by Jesus Dureza, Presidential Assistant for Mindanao, concurrent MEDCo chair and also a former chair of the government peace panel negotiating with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Sec. Dureza was been highly criticized with many controversies like the unilaterally changed or annotated some provissions or articles of the minutes of March 28, 2003 exploratory talks in Kuala Lumpur. I don’t trust Sec. Dureza and i bet he will just make the peace process much more worse.

Insted the peace process will progress Sec. Dureza will spoil all the hardworks of both peace panels of GRP-MILF and all peace advocates in Mindanao. The peace development as everyone foresee now have move to a significant achievement but it will turn into trash as some the likes of Sec. Dureza who just trash around to divide the unity of the Moro people and the relationship between Filipino-Moro. Instead they work for a more just and meaningful reconciliation they make it worst. It’s a fact he succeded his evil plan during the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) – GRP Peace talks. Hope it won’t happen again with the MILF. Check my related rants about the peace talks: GRP-MILF Peace Talks – progressive?.

“Silently, this administration is treating Muslims as mere terrorists and criminals. Why this? Executive Order 496 aggravates the evident expression of deliberate neglect by the government and upgrading programs and projects that will address and advance the concerns and complexities of the Muslim communities,” Hataman said.

xxx

Hataman said the Arroyo administration should not regard Muslims as a “social menace” but as peace-loving, God-fearing people enjoying its own heritage, culture and tradition and as people with high respect to the laws of the land.

This kind of development manifest the insincerety of Pres. Arroyo and the Colonial Manila (Filipino) Gov’t. to the address the real issue genuinely and with sense of justice and fairness. Putting the affairs of Muslims under the office that oversight peace process is not a healthy working environment between the Filipino and Moro people. It’s like portraying that we Moro Muslims in the Philippines are not peace loving and we are mere terrorists and criminals.

To end this rants, I join with Hon. Hataman calls to demand President Arroyo the withdrawal of EO 496 on the basis that Muslims should be accorded with high sense of decency in dealing with their economic, political and socio-cultural concerns.

Aren’t they desperate as our journey to Independence will soon be realize?as long our Moro leaders can’t be teased by candy offering by Sec.Dureza our elusive Bangsamoro Inpendence will soon be achieved. Inshallah (God Willing).

Authors note: If you want reply and comment, you need to register here. I don’t need cowards comment lurking anonymously. I required registration for this reason.

Dear Muslim citizens in Denmark and the World

I wish to state the existence of another Denmark: a Denmark that wants to live in peace with the Muslim world. There is another Denmark, which hopes for and believes in respect and tolerance between religions and different groups of people. As a Dane I have no responsibility for what a single and privately owned Danish newspaper chooses to publish. Even so, I strongly condemn the actions of Jyllands-Posten that have offended muslims around the world, and I understand the need for an apology from the newspaper.

We all have a responsibility for treating each other, our religious faiths, and convictions with dignity and respect. By publishing the cartoons, the newspaper Jyllands-Posten failed their obligation to exercise with care and consideration the right of freedom of speech.

I condemn all kinds of discrimination, prejudice and racism, whether it is directed against Muslims, Jews, Christians or other groups in a society. Therefore, I reject the hostile and prejudicial way of speaking that has marked several Danish political parties and media within recent years.

I want to make a request to all parties involved, that opinions and protests may be conducted in a respectful and peaceful manner. Attacks on and threats against individuals and assets only make the situation worse for all of us.

I believe in a world where religions, ethnic groups and various political and cultural opinions can coexist in an atmosphere of dialogue, tolerance and mutual respect.

I wish to state the existence of another Denmark that conceives itself as a part of such a heterogenous world and humanity.

In the sincere hope of international tolerance and respect.

Authors note: If you want reply and comment, you need to register here. I don’t need cowards comment lurking anonymously. I required registration for this reason.

Islam, Anti-Prophet, Muhammad Cartoons, Muhammad Caricature