h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I like your entry, it's very informative.

I think the main problem with religous texts (whatever religion they come from) is that they are, at best, ambiguous and different people read different things from the same book.

I would guess that something is also lost from the original translation, look at Moses and the red sea story from the Bible.

So do you think Islamic terrorists are using the religion as a cover for themselves, or that they just don't get it in the first place?

Salaam

Sorry about the wrong wait for a reply, I don't get much access to the Internet at the moment.

I think the proble lies in three areas that are:

The first area is the leaders of the Islamic terrorist groups and others close to them, who are using the texts willingly to get there own objectives completed and do not care if it is right or wrong.


The second group have had some thing bad happen to them, eg there family being killed by a american bomb or the oppresion of Palestinines by Israel. They want to get revenge and see the terrorist groups as a good way of achieving it and so willingly join.

The last group are thoughs who do not know what the Quran is really saying and rely on others to educate them on it.
So the extremist clerics say a view verses that support voilence on there own, and lead the person away from the right path.

I hope that helps I can go in more detail if you wish.

Adib

It does help, thanks.

I've always thought "organised religion" was a contradiction in terms.

A lot of people say that religion is the course of all wars which i disagree with. If you look through history you see that yes a lot of wars are religous motivated but its done by people who are not exactly following there faith. If you look at the crusades that was ment to be a religous war to re capture the holy land from the Muslims but there are cases where the christian armys actually went and stole gold from christian churchs.
So what exactly do you mean by contradiction in terms?

I left my brain in bed today sorry.

Adib

Well, religion is an expression of faith, which is an individual "feeling" about the spiritual. Organising it so that a small group preaches what the teachings of any particular religious book mean to a larger group seems a little contradictory.

Sorry if that's a little confusing, but it's the clearest I can make it.

yeah I think I know what your saying.

Well Islam is one of the biggest faiths but we do not go around preaching though.
When was the last time you had a Muslim call your door and try to convery you, joke.
No seriously we don't preach really, what we do is just talk to people and if they want to talk about Islam then we are more than happy to talk to them about it and answer questions.

Sorry if thats confusing.

Anyway I alays have a nice freindly chat with the two old christian women who call at my house to talk about god
Adib

I lost all repect for those people when they called on me when I had the worst flu ever. I was in my dressing gwon, dribbling snot and coughing and they didn't take the hint. Still, they didn't come back so maybe I passed th bug on to them.

Sorry if that description was a bit too graphic for you.

Laugh some of them can be a bit over bearing can't they?

Some how I do not want to picture you discriptive image you portrayed.
A lot of them can be quiet rude and persistant but the two old ladys I speak to are very sweet and kind and they do trulely believe in what there doing and there faith.

For the rude ones I have a specially prepared bible with bits high lighting all the discrepencess and disgusting things like insest.

They usually come out with a 'I'll speak to my superier and come back to you' and promptly never see them again.

Adib

Yes
I always like to ask them:
"How can you still believe in the Bible when it's been shown to contain many mistranslations, particularly about the "virgin" Mary?

It's fun. I also played a similar game with PC World employees when I was younger, asking really easy technical questions that could be answered by reading the box.

Ha ha yeah.
I remember this time I was in Pc world looking to get a new Pc and this guy was like oh you defently want over a hundred megs of ram and this was back in the days when there was no software that needed that much power. He was platently trying to sell us the highest priced machine going.
Anyway about the Bible discrepences I have this little booklet called the bible thumpers survival guide its really good.

Adib

I must get hold of that, it sounds very useful.

When I'm next on line I will give you the number for it and address, though I don't know if they still do it as it is a old copy I have.

Inshallah they will.

adib

Sorry about the long wait, I have a extencess libray in my home, and It took me a while to find the little book, I really should organise it a little.

you can try and get a copy from:

IPCI - Islamic propagation centre international
481 Coventry road,
Small Heath,
Birmingham,
B10 0JS,
U.K

I think the telephone number is 0121 773 0137, and they say the fax number is 05646 3312.

The book's full title is: Combatkit against bible thumbers, its by Ahmed Deedat.

If you don't live in the UK, I can get you a copy and mail it to you if you wish.
Thats if they still do that particuler publication as it was written before Birmingham changed its STD nuber to 0121 thats why I only think the number is correct and not know if it is.

Take care

Adib

Thanks. I'll try to get hold of a copy.