Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Swiss antagonist of minarets embraces Islam

source: http://www.nation.com.

RENOWNED Swiss politician Daniel Streich, who rose to fame for his campaign against minarets of mosques, has embraced Islam.
A member of the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) and a well-known politician, Daniel Streich was the first man who had launched a drive for imposition of ban on mosques minarets, and to lock the mosques in Switzerland. The proclamation of Streich’s conversion to Islam has created furore in Swiss politics, besides causing a tremor for those who supported ban on construction of mosques minarets.

 

Streich propagated his anti-Islamic movement far and wide in the country, sowed seeds of indignation and scorn for Islam among the people, and paved way for public opinion against pulpits and minarets of mosques.
But now Streich has become a soldier of Islam. His anti-Islam thoughts finally brought him so close to this religion that he embraced Islam. He is ashamed of his doings now and desires to construct the most beautiful mosque of Europe in Switzerland.
 
The most interesting thing in this regard is that at present there are four mosques in Switzerland and Streich wants to lay the foundation for the fifth one. He wishes to seek absolution of his sin of proliferating venom against Islam. He is thinking of a movement contrary to his previous one to promote religious tolerance and peaceful cooperative living, in spite of the fact that ban on mosques minarets has gained a legal status.
This is the greatest quality of Islam that it comes up with even greater vigour, when it is faced with confrontation.
 
Abdul Majeed Aldai, the president of OPI, an NGO, working for the welfare of Muslims, says that Europeans have a great desire to know about Islam. Some of them want to know about the relationship between Islam and terrorism; same was the case with Streich.
During his confrontation, Streich studied the Holy Quran and started understanding Islam.
He wished to be hard to Islam, but the outcome was otherwise. Aldai further says.
Recently the question of ban on minarets was put to voting in Switzerland, wherein the Swiss nationals gave the issue a legal status.


As per voting results 42.5 per cent people voted in favour of the minarets and 57.5 per cent supported the ban, while the Muslim population in Switzerland is only 6 per cent. The most wondrous thing in this regard, therefore, is the support of 42.5 per cent of population for only six per cent Muslims.
The analysts claim that ban on minarets and Islamic rituals has attracted the people towards Islam.
 
Streich was an important member of the Swiss People’s Party (SVP). His importance could be estimated from his influence on party’s policy making, in which he always had a prominent role. His movement against minarets was aimed at gaining political attention and interest. He won the slot of military instructor in the Swiss Army due to his popularity.
Born in a Christian family, Streich had a comprehensive study of Islam merely to malign and confront, but Islamic teachings had a deep impact on him. Eventually he de-linked himself from political activities and he embraced Islam. Streich has termed the SVO activities against the Muslims as satanic.
 
He says that he used to read the Bible and often went to chapel, but now he recites the Holy Quran and offers his prayers five times a day. He further says that he cancelled his party membership and made public his conversion. Streich says that he has found the truth of life in Islam, which he could not find in Christianity.
 
On the other hand the Swiss military authorities have feared that Streich, who was once a military instructor, might reveal army secrets to the Muslims.
An SVP National Council member says that Streich as military instructor could be dangerous.
However, a spokesman of Swiss Army while rejecting this impression said that the performance of our military was more important than that who instructed it.
However, from within their own ranks, a man is now working for the promotion of Islam and its teachings. The law of a country can ban minarets but not minds and hearts.
- Newsdesk

11 comments:

Nur said...

SubhanAllah!! Alhamdulillah....Allah turn his heart from hate to love towards Islam...MashAllah..

Anonymous said...

HYPOCRISY IN ISLAM

Muslim women suffer at the hands of societies and governments who harm them in the name of Islam.

There is a resounding silence when the issue of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), honor killings, forced marriages, the unequal application of hadd punishments on women, or the denial of education to girls and women is raised in Muslim countries. All of these wrongs are perpetrated on women in the name of Islam. While it is true that many of these violations occur across cultural and religious boundaries, the only action often taken by conservative Muslims is a condemnation of the action because it is "cultural" and not Islamic. Meanwhile, women continue to be murdered and little girls continue to be mutilated.

Strangely, when a Muslim woman's Islamic rights are violated, many organizations are eager to speak out and petition. For example, when Merve Kavacki was denied her seat in the Turkish Parliament because of her headscarf, Muslim groups were quick to condemn the Turkish government. In many Western Muslim circles, Merve has been elevated to a symbol of the struggle muhajabat women face in secular societies.

Rene´s Bare Essentials said...

I think the problem stems from cultural muslims who are in power. They have incorporated culture into Islam. For example in Saudi Arabia women are denied driving privilages, yet its ok for them to be alone with a man in a taxi or with their driver? A lot of uneducated, ignorant people who also happen to be muslim by name do practice FGM and honor killings and sadly the media publicicizes it as a religious killing, when in fact its a cultural practice. In islam, FGM is not allowed!!!! Anything that can harm or disfigure someone is not allowed and yet often with FGM the woman either bleeds to death or becomes sterile. As muslims we need to start fighting against this instead of turning a silent cheek. There is no hypocrisy in islam, only in culture.

Anonymous said...

The actions of Prophet Muhammad

Muslim 680 The Prophet said: "When an unmarried couple fornicate they should receive one hundred lashes and banishment for one year. In the cases of a married male committing adultery with a married female, they shall receive one hundred lashes and be stoned to death. If one of the pair is unmarried, one hundred lashes and exile for a year.

Muslim 682 The Prophet said: "Do not stone the adulteress who is pregnant until she has had her child." After the birth she was put into a ditch up to her chest and the Prophet commanded them to stone her. Khalid came forward with a stone which he threw at her head, and there spurted blood on the face of Khalid and he cursed her. The gentle Prophet prayed over her and she was buried.

Hadith Malik 493:1520 Ma'iz bin Malik came to Abu Bakr and said: "I am a base fellow for I have committed adultery."

Abu Bakr replied: "Repent before the Lord and tell no one else." The man still felt guilty and went to Umar who gave him the same reply. Still feeling guilty he went to the Prophet who asked if he was ill or mad, married or single. On hearing that Ma'iz was healthy and married, the Prophet ordered him to be stoned to death.

Hadith Malik 493:1524 The Prophet was told: "My son was employed with this man; he committed adultery with his wife. I gave 100 sheep and a slave girl in compensation." The Prophet said: "Take back your sheep and your slave girl. Your son will receive 100 lashes and a year in exile. As the adulteress has confessed she will be stoned."

Hadith Malik 493:1530 Ibn Shihab said that a man committing sodomy should be stoned whether he be married or unmarried.

Hadith Malik 496:1540 A man went on a journey with the slave-girl of his wife and went into her. The envious wife reported it to Umar who said the husband would be stoned unless the slave girl was owned by him. The wife spoke out to save him: "I had given her as a gift."

Sahih Bukhari, 11:2073 The Prophet said: “If any slave marries without the permission of his masters, he is a fornicator. “

Rene´s Bare Essentials said...

Stoning to death is also found in judaism for adultry. I see nothing wrong with adulters being stoned to death or fornicators being lashed. This is a form of punishment for a horrid crime. The adulterer not only causes pain and suffering and shame to his or her spouse but brings corruption to society with his or her actions. Society without punishments and laws will become corrupt and morality will drop, which we can see in western countries where commiting adultry has become romanticised.
Each hadith you have mentioned brings justice to the person who was hurt and betrayed. Our prophet is not being unjust but Just! These are orders not from him but from Allah (god) and similar laws are in other religions however over time those religions have changed and their books have been tampered with, ex. christianity and the bible.

Rene´s Bare Essentials said...

as a side note, to be stoned to death, the adulterer needs to have 4 witnesses who have stated they saw the couple commiting adultry. Its is very rare to find 4 witnesses in the same spot who have witnessed such an act, which is why stoning to death is very rare. The reason for 4 witnesses is to be fair to the couple to make sure that they are not being tried unfairely. the 4 witnesses must have seen the couple engaging in sex before they can come foward and testify against the couple. The other option is for the adulterers to come foward and admit to the crime they commited

Rene´s Bare Essentials said...

I also wanted to add, hadiths should be interpreted and explained by scholars. Understanding hadiths is a science and should not always be looked at literally. There are always wise meanings behind hadiths as well as the time and period of the hadith. I would suggest picking up some books by islamic scholars on the interpretation of hadiths for a better understanding =) I could recommend some if you would like.

Rene´s Bare Essentials said...

"the Jews Alter and Change the Law, Such As Stoning the Adulterer
They change the words from their places:) by altering their meanings and knowingly distorting them after they comprehended them,

(they say, "If you are given this, take it, but if you are not given this, then beware!") It was reported that this part of the Ayah was revealed about some Jews who committed murder and who said to each other, "Let us ask Muhammad to judge between us, and if he decides that we pay the Diyah, accept his judgement. If he decides on capital punishment, do not accept his judgement.'' The correct opinion is that this Ayah was revealed about the two Jews who committed adultery. The Jews changed the law they had in their Book from Allah on the matter of punishment for adultery, from stoning to death, to a hundred flogs and making the offenders ride a donkey facing the back of the donkey. When this incident of adultery occurred after the Hijrah, they said to each other, "Let us go to Muhammad and seek his judgement. If he gives a ruling of flogging, then implement his decision and make it a proof for you with Allah. This way, one of Allah's Prophets will have upheld this ruling amongst you. But if he decides that the punishment should be stoning to death, then do not accept his decision.'' There are several Hadiths mentioning this story. Malik reported that Nafi` said that `Abdullah bin `Umar said, "The Jews came to Allah's Messenger and mentioned that a man and a woman from them committed adultery. Allah's Messenger said to them,


(What do find of the ruling about stoning in the Tawrah) They said, `We only find that they should be exposed and flogged.' `Abdullah bin Salam said, `You lie. The Tawrah mentions stoning, so bring the Tawrah.' They brought the Tawrah and opened it but one of them hid the verse about stoning with his hand and recited what is before and after that verse. `Abdullah bin Salam said to him, `Remove your hand,' and he removed it, thus uncovering the verse about stoning. So they said, He (`Abdullah bin Salam) has said the truth, O Muhammad! It is the verse about stoning.' The Messenger of Allah decided that the adulterers be stoned to death and his command was carried out. I saw that man shading the woman from the stones with his body.'' Al-Bukhari and Muslim also collected this Hadith and this is the wording collected by Al-Bukhari. In another narration by Al-Bukhari, the Prophet said to the Jews,

(What would you do in this case) They said, "We would humiliate and expose them.'' The Prophet recited,


(Bring here the Tawrah and recite it, if you are truthful.) So they brought a man who was blind in one eye and who was respected among them and said to him, "Read (from the Tawrah).'' So he read until he reached a certain verse and then covered it with his hand. He was told, "Remove your hand,'' and it was the verse about stoning. So that man said, "O Muhammad! This is the verse about stoning, and we had hid its knowledge among us.'' So the Messenger ordered that the two adulterers be stoned, and they were stoned. Muslim recorded that a Jewish man and a Jewish woman were brought before Allah's Messenger because they committed adultery. The Messenger of Allah went to the Jews and asked them,


(What is the ruling that you find in the Tawrah for adultery) hThey said, "We expose them, carry them (on donkeys) backwards and parade them in public.'' The Prophet recited;

(continued in next message)

Rene´s Bare Essentials said...

(Bring here the Tawrah and recite it, if you are truthful.) So they brought the Tawrah and read from it until the reader reached the verse about stoning. Then he placed his hand on that verse and read what was before and after it. `Abdullah bin Salam, who was with the Messenger of Allah , said, "Order him to remove his hand,'' and he removed his hand and under it was the verse about stoning. So the Messenger of Allah commanded that the adulterers be stoned, and they were stoned. `Abdullah bin `Umar said, "I was among those who stoned them and I saw the man shading the woman from the stones with his body.'' Abu Dawud recorded that Ibn `Umar said, "Some Jews came to the Messenger of Allah and invited him to go to the Quff area. So he went to the house of Al-Midras and they said, `O Abu Al-Qasim! A man from us committed adultery with a woman, so decide on their matter.' They arranged a pillow for the Messenger of Allah and he sat on it and said,



(Bring the Tawrah to me.) He was brought the Tawrah and he removed the pillow from under him and placed the Tawrah on it, saying,


(I trust you and He Who revealed it to you.) He then said,


(Bring me your most knowledgeable person.) So he was brought a young man... '' and then he mentioned the rest of the story that Malik narrated from Nafi`. These Hadiths state that the Messenger of Allah issued a decision that conforms with the ruling in the Tawrah, not to honor the Jews in what they believe in, for the Jews were commanded to follow the Law of Muhammad only. Rather, the Prophet did this because Allah commanded him to do so. He asked them about the ruling of stoning in the Tawrah to make them admit to what the Tawrah contains and what they collaborated to hide, deny and exclude from implementing for all that time. They had to admit to what they did, although they did it while having knowledge of the correct ruling. What made them go to the Prophet for judgement in this matter was their lusts and desires, hoping that the Prophet would agree with their opinion, not that they believed in the correctness of his judgment. This is why they said,


(If you are given this,) referring to flogging, then take it,


(but if you are not given this, then beware!) and do not accept or implement it. Allah said next,


(And whomsoever Allah wants to put in Fitnah, you can do nothing for him against Allah. Those are the ones whose hearts Allah does not want to purify; for them there is a disgrace in this world, and in the Hereafter a great torment. They (like to) listen to falsehood, to devour Suht) `Suht' refers to bribes, as Ibn Mas`ud and others stated. The Ayah states that if one is like this, how can Allah cleanse his heart and accept his supplication Allah said to His Prophet

(So if they come to you...) so that you judge between them,


(either judge between them, or turn away from them. If you turn away from them, they cannot hurt you in the least.) meaning, there is no harm if you do not judge between them. This is because when they came to you to judge between them, they did not seek to follow the truth, but only what conformed to their lusts. We should mention here that Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, As-Suddi, Zayd bin Aslam, `Ata' Al-Khurasani, and several others said that this part of the Ayah was abrogated by Allah's statement,


(And so judge among them by what Allah has revealed.)

(And if you judge, judge with justice between them.) and with fairness, even if the Jews were unjust and outcasts from the path of fairness,

(Verily, Allah loves those who act justly.)

Dee said...

Alhamdulilah! This is why we should never let the Islamophobes drive us to despair. History has shown us that Islam wins over the staunchest of critics. salam

Rene´s Bare Essentials said...

Exactly DD!