An Islamaphobic Little Old-Lady

First they came for the Muslims,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Muslim.

Then they came for the Jew,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the Christians,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Christian.

Then they came for me,
and there was no one left to speak for me......

(Don't let the powers that be trick you into thinking that Muslims are the boogie man... They will come for you next!)

A little old-lady came into my place of employment the other day, and she began to rant about the problems Memphis, TN has with the blacks. "The worst thing that ever happened to us was the fact that they killed him here... here in our city!", she goes on to tell me about Martin Luther King.

All-the-while she is continuously staring at my head covering (a hat). It is a traditional style cap that the Muslims wear. We ware it for many different reasons. I wear it to let others know that I'm different than them. To make a statement, "I am a Muslim. I do not curse, drink or do harm to others. I do not cheat or steal. I pray 5 times a day and believe in One God. I do not pray to or through anything or anyone that God created... i go directly to the source, by calling on God in Gods name.

This lady rapped up her conversation / rant about the blacks in our city and in America and proceeded to leave. Almost to the door, she turns around ask me, "what are you!?". I couldn't help but let out a small laugh, and then I replied, "I knew you were going to ask me that!". Given her racism, I knew I had to tread lite.

I told her, "I am a Muslim, but I think that it is a conversation for another time and another place." She said, "you bet it is!". I tried fast to give her a brief summery on how we believe in God, when she suddenly cut me off! She waved her finger at me and curled up her lip in anger and said, "I know more about your religion than you do young man! And let me tell you another thing! I don't fallow any religion that tells me to kill all the people that don't believe like me!"

I couldn't get a word in edge wise, so I wrote her this brief letter and handed it to her a few days later.... Now, she comes in and smiles and treats me with a little bit of respect.

Try it (Dawah), and see what changes you can make in the world today!

THE LETTER

Dear mam,

I enjoyed the conversation that we had the other day in the store, and I find you to be a very intelligent and interesting individual. Everything that we know has been taught to us by someone, some book, some experience or life changing event. This means that intelligence is based upon knowledge and that knowledge has to be acquired. One can not claim to understand biology, unless one has taken the proper courses and has had someone to guide them in their understanding. If a person hears or is told something about biology by those who are not biologist, then acceptance of those ideas or facts could indeed be acceptance of false ideas and not be facts. Furthermore, one does not go to a mechanic to get his computer fixed or a gardener to have their roof repaired. They go to those who have the knowledge and experience to do the job at hand.

It bothers me that people outside of a certain religion claim to know more than the one who has spent decades living it, understanding and studying it. Any sane and intelligent person would have to agree with this statement. Understanding any divine revelation requires proper study. A Christian preacher goes to divinity school to learn and understand the bible, in order to go and teach it or preach it to the world or their community, and even then one is dependent upon that preacher having been taught the correct way.

What I am trying to say is similar to what you were explaining to me about Memphis. You told me, “honey I think you're too young to know what I’m talking about”. That is because, in order for me to understand the changes that Memphis has gone through, the fact that the blacks had promised to take over, and the current situation we’re in, I had to have been there and gone through it. You were right! So, how is it that one who is not a Muslim, never took classes in a university or with a Muslim scholar able to dictate the religion of Islam to the Muslims?

Here is the proper way to understand the verse you used to say Islam was bad:

For 13 years, Muhammad was calling people to worship God and to stop worshiping the idols. The same you could say as Abraham. Muhammad was calling people to stop burying their daughters alive; a practice that was prevalent during the time. He also called for rights to be given to the poor, charity to be established, etc. He was the first person to bring about a system whereby women could own property. (Does this sound like the actions of a madman or one who is under the influence of Satan?)

The people of his tribe and city began to torture and murder his followers. Some were even boiled in hot water. The elite of the communities saw that he was calling for the worship of God and cessation of idol worship. This was how the elite made their money; people would come from far and wide to give offerings of gold and monies to the idols that were kept in the sacred house that Abraham had built for the worship of God and God alone. They plotted to kill him (Muhammad), and they made an attempt! He fled to Madina with his followers, where he was pursued. Eventually the elite of Mecca returned and plotted to take an army after him, and to supply the army and out of greed as well, they took all their property left behind and shipped it out on a caravan headed to trade in another place. Muhammad and his followers intercepted the caravan and retrieved their goods. (This is what is used by the enemy of Muslims to say “he robbed and stole from caravans”.)

The problems persisted and an the army of oppressive non-Muslims, those from Muhammad's city, attacked the Muslims that had already fled! Later a peace treaty was made with the elite of Mecca (The Non-Believers / Non-Muslims), which was eventually broken by them, and they attacked Muhammad and his followers once more. This is were the following verses were revealed, and God commanded them to go out in battle and kill these people, (Non-Muslims / i.e. Non-Believers) who had persisted in killing and driving them out of their homes, and NOT (Non-believers in general)... And all of this happened to Muhammad and his follower, and it persist today, because they did as Noah, Moses, Jesus, Abraham, etc. They commanded that God be worshiped, his rules to be fallowed, for the people to give charity, to pray, to be kind to the neighbors, feed the poor and hungry, and many other wonderful good things. Why then do people still say that Islam is from the devil???

Here is the proper explanation and understanding of the verse you used to say my religion was evil:
All you need to do is put the verses in context and they are self explanatory!

[002:190] Fight in the cause of God those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for God loveth not transgressors. (Stand up and fight for what is right and righteous! Don't let people oppress you, kill you and others! Stand up against wrong with honor and humility!)

[002:191] And slay them wherever ye catch them, and turn them out from where they have Turned you out; for tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter; but fight them not at the Sacred Mosque, unless they (first) fight you there; but if they fight you, slay them. Such is the reward of those who suppress faith. (Fight them and kill them, wherever you meet them in battle. Don't run away like a coward, and do not let evil and oppression prevail! Fighting against persecution and oppression, defending righteousness and the helpless, are not even close to the evil that they are committing.)

[002:192] But if they cease, God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (But if they give up and stop their attack on you, promise to stop killing and oppressing human beings, and they promise to stop worshiping idols, etc., then don't hurt them. This is because God is all Forgiving and all Merciful!)

[002:193] And fight them on until there is no more Tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in God; but if they cease, Let there be no hostility except to those who practise oppression. Do not give up fighting them, until their is no more persecution and oppression and faith has triumphed over disbelief (good over evil). And, if they stop their ways, then do not harbor any hard feelings towards them, only towards the ones who oppress...

I hope this clarifies anything that others have said to make you believe Islam is evil or bad... It is shameful that people sit behind a TV camera or on a pulpit and spew such evil and slanderous things against such wonderful and caring people. As my mamma said, soon after I accepted Islam, "I want to understand your religion! I want to know what it is that changed my son, when I thought he could never be changed!" You see, I was destine to be in jail or dead, with the lifestyle that I was living. God brought me to the best, and I turned my life around! Islam (A way of life of submitting to Gods Will, whereby one attains peace of heart and peace of mind), has made me a better person!

Thank you for talking with me and for sharing with me.... I hope that you go back to those people who have lied about me and on my religion and tell them the truth that you have learned today..... any and all verses have a context in which they were revealed. If you want to understand the verse, you HAVE to understand the context!

As the bible says, "2 Kings 15:¹⁶Then Menahem smote Tiphsah, and all that were therein, and the coasts thereof from Tirzah: because they opened not to him, therefore he smote it; and all the women therein that were with child he ripped up."

Also, "Numbers 31:¹⁷Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. ¹⁸But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves."

[Someone somewhere wants to use Islam and the Muslims as the great big bad Boogie Man. Doing this creates fear in the hearts of Americans and cause us to give up our rights to those in government. When we do this, they use those lost rights to turn on us.....]

By: Yusuf Sneed, born: Joseph Shane Sneed

THE EPIDEMIC OF ALCOHOL AND THE MUSLIMS WHO HELP TO SPREAD IT

ALCOHOL AND THE MUSLIMS WHO HELP TO SPREAD IT AND THE DESTRUCTION THAT FALLOWS..

 It was a normal day at my new found job of delivering cookies and acquiring new stores for the sale of Mrs. Ahmed's homemade handmade Halal cookies. I remember that the day had been a beautiful one! It was mid-afternoon, and the world was rolling on as it usually did in Memphis, TN. The difference today was that it was in the mid-50's, with a nice cool breeze, and I was working! For every $100 of cookies I sold, I got $20 in my pocket. A thousand packs times $.60 equals $600.00, and I was to make around $120.00 for my 4 hours of work......

     I was a new convert to Islam, well, a few years into my new and amazing life of living and learning Al-Islam. I had a zest and zeal that is often found in people, when they find something that changes their life for the better and brings them a soft warm fuzzy feeling in their heart! The sweetness of faith! Yes, I think that is what the preacher called it, as he had explained in a recent lecture I attended. I was tasting the sweetness of Iman (Faith)! But, it wasn't long before I realized something that brought me to my knees! (Others who claimed to believe and act as I did, well... they did not feel the same! In fact, they seemed to take Islam as some sort of a joke. Their is a difference you know, between struggling with your desires and sinfulness and just flat out not giving a hoot.

     One event for ever stained my brain. It's there, somewhere in the deep recesses of my brain, where electrical impulses meets synapsis and produces a permanent memory, and I wish that I could plug up to some sort of technologically sound memory removing device and have it swiped away for good! Yes.. I have many of those type of memories that I would systematically seek out and destroy, because some things that we see and experience in life have a way of turning against you. It's kind of like a parasitic invasion, only it eats at your faith and your emotional stability.

     On that beautiful breezy day, I walked into a convenient store and waited in line to approach the workers and solicit their business. The Budweiser sign flickered on and off as if it had been dipping into its own stash of booze. The old lady in front of me was nervously looking back at her car to see if the 5 year old boy was behaving, or was she scared the police would drive by and see she was endangering her child? Who knows, but it wasn't her or anyone else that I was paying attention to. I was watching, with great interest I might add, the two men behind the counter, specifically the one arguing with an older African American man at the point of purchase. "You stupid motherf****, what did I tell you last time!!?? He said in an accurate thug like voice. "You want this Sh**, then you need to pay up you old ugly man!". When I heard it, my eyes opened up wide, and I almost dropped my basket of cookies. He caught me off guard and sort of spooked me. I thought to myself, "where are these guys behind the counter from?".

     It wasn't long before I had my answer. A few more curse words and having had looked past the sagging pants, the cocked sideways hat, and the gangster attitude, I saw what I was looking for. They were two Yemeni brothers. I saw a Quran nearby, but it was what I heard in the distance that began to make my stomach feel as if it were about to reject my most recent meal. I heard, over all the curse words and the music that was playing from behind the counter, "Fabiyy a-ya-llah... ee-rabee-kum-a too-kathy-ban...." (which of these [from your Lord] will you deny...). My blood began to boil, and I knew I was about to lose everything dear to me. My freedom, new job and several other things were about to be snatched from me in a shorter time than it takes to say " Salaam"! I was going to snatch one of these brothers and beat him to death! (It is a problem I have been dealing with for a while now. I rarely get mad, but when I do, I usually go all the way and for a good reason.)

     I ran out the store and threw the cookies in the car, and I grabbed my prayer rug and laid it out on the door step of this store. I prayed to rakaah and left it at that...

   I have seen a brother incarcerated for shooting at a man who was stealing his alcohol, and once I saw two brothers flipping coins to see who would be fasting the month of Ramadan. Others have told me that they like an occasional drink after breaking their fast, and another time a brother heard my conversion story and closed his store to run to the Masjid and pray. This was something he had not done in over 10 years, so he told me....

   I don't claim to know the reasons behind all of these actions, nor do I judge them. I simply say this: My fellow brothers and sisters in Islam. If you are one of these people, or you are close to them, then Allah will surely ask you about what you did or did not do. We have to find some way somehow to lessen the amount of Muslims that participate in the destruction of humanity here and abroad. The next time a person is killed, raped or beaten, because their mother, father, brother, sister or husband has allowed the sale of alcohol, you will be judged by The Almighty for your part you had to play.... Imagine that your bests friend sales a bottle of alcohol to a man who ends up abusing your daughter or mother! Would you not kill him??!! How is it that we say, "Killing one human being is like killing all of humanity, and to save one human being is as if you saved all of humanity....", and then we go to work and sale the very thing that destroys and kills thousands of human beings daily??? It is hypocrisy!!! 

   I saw a man once. He bought several bottles of alcohol from a Muslims brother, and on the way out the door he fell down. The brothers were laughing at him so hard! The man gave the keys to his 11 year old daughter, who was crying and screaming, "I can't drive papa! Please don't! I can't drive papa, please!" He smacked her and told her to get in the truck... she drove away, but not before banging into some concrete protective barriers.

   I have a dozen or more stories like it, and I'm sure others do as well. It is my opinion that the problem is not from a lack of clarity in our beliefs as Muslims. Well, it is not a high percentage of the problem, but it does account for the many excuses that one hears from those whom we are discussing. I have heard, "It is less than stealing, Yusuf! You have to ask forgiveness from the one who is the victim, and if I sale Khamir (intoxicants), it is between me and Allah only!"

Others say, "If I were to stop selling alcohol akhi,"I would lose my business and have to cease working. It is a Muslims duty to support his family; It is an act of worship Yusuf!" These statements and more like it do show a clear lack of understanding of some ore principals in Islamic Aqeedah us-sahiah ul-Islamiyyah (Sound / Authentic Islamic beliefs) So, How do we handle it, as laymen (non-scholars) in Islam??? A question I now pose to the reader. i.e. You!

   Another opinion I purpose is this: The problem lies in gravity of culture influences on the migrant Muslims who arrive here. The cultures often clash with Islam, provide excuses for evil behavior, deemphasize the importence of many elements in islam, cause undue and unfounded hatred, and in many cases can ruin a revert or converts understanding of the religion and cause them to go astray. So, we can see that culture playes a big part in the problems we are discussing here, today, in this much needed note to all of you, especially to myself.....

   I hope and I pray that we find a way to tackle this problem, because it is doing damage in multiple areas and in multiple ways. It is an issue that has been delt with by those who know better than me and you. Yet, it is gaining more and more speed as it works its' magic accorss the lands. And, as we know well, the faster something goes, the more damage it usually causes.....

   Thank you for allowing me to vent, and I pray that it changes someones life, somewhere, someway, and somehow.... "guide us to the Strait Path, the path of those who have earned Your Mercy, not the path of those who earned anger  or those who went astray." Quran: 1:1-7

AMEEN!

Yusuf

AS AN AMERICAN, I’M SCARED

With every day that passes by, with each new shocking email that is automatically sent to me by Google Alerts, keywords “Muslim Islam” or other keywords like it, I grow more and more fearful. I'm fearful of losing my freedom. I'm feerful of being taken away from my family, and I'm  fearful of being caught in America while being Muslim.
These emails tell a short story of how some American Muslim was caught in the act of trying to do some harm in the name of Islam, and the story almost always has the quote, “According to authorities, the well orchestrated FBI / Capital Police "sting operation" eliminated any possibility of the public ever being in danger.”. This is because it was a Government operation from the jump. They found another duck and cooked his goose. They found a weak minded, weak hearted, and ignorant individual to fallow their instructions, and I’m scared! Scared of why they are doing this! The fact of the matter is, that they will probably move away from targeting Muslims and start to go for the Constitutionalist! It seems to be a move to remove all rights and freedoms from the people by creating a false fear.
I was born here!  I grew up here!  I went to school here!  My ancestors are Cherokee Indian and Irish.  Some of my ancestors called this place home before Christopher Columbus dreamed up the idea of even coming here! I hate that this Country was founded on the heads of American Indians, but the fact of the matter is “It is here and I love what it stands for”.
I never ever thought that I would actually be fearful of being an American.  And I never ever thought that I would actually sincerely be scared to be here, in this Country that I have called and still call my home, because I chose to believe in God as ONE.  I am sure that I'm not alone.  I'm quite sure that there are hundreds if not thousands more just like me.  People are scared and wondering what is to come next.  Are they going to do us like the Germans did the Jews and make us wear some sort of identification mark?  Are they going to do us like they did the Japanese and put us in large compounds like cattle?  I can't help but think and wonder what is coming?  What is coming next? 
I recently read a story, and in this story I read about a secret operation, from some sort of group that was intending two monitor and expose extremist elements within the many Muslim Communities around the United States, and these idiots, excuse my French, these idiots actually snuck into Muslim houses of prayer and measured the beards of its leaders and adherents!  Does this not bother anyone?  It sure as hell bothers me!  This bothers me on several different levels.  Number one, people are actually equating extremism with long beards and vice versa.  These idiots are saying that, if you follow Islamic dress codes, you are possibly an individual who believes in the taking of innocent lives.  They believe that following the fundamental teachings of the Prophet Mohammed, peace and blessings be upon him, in matters of dress, signifies that you are the type of individual who needs to be feared. 
This ignorance ladies and gentlemen is NOT the fault of Muslims. It is the fault of us Americans allowing our selves to be tricked into giving up our freedoms for a false sense of security. Did you know that they are releasing drones across the US of A? Did you? No, you probably didn’t, and it’s not for catching terrorist. They are getting ready to take the guns from the gun owners and take control of all that they want to take control of, in the manner that they see fit. Do your research ladies and gentlemen……. Crap is about to hit the fan!
I'm scared that this great nation that was founded upon humane and chivalrous principles, morality, honor and trust and freedom for all is being undermined by someone or some group somewhere…. What do you think?

Muslims in Spain

Peace be upon you all and the Mercy of God and His Blessings....

I recently attended a wonderful lecture on Muslims In Spain, and it left me with an overload of information and emotion...

You have to understand a few things about me first. I was raised on a farm that was just outside the hustle and bustle of the city. My mother is part Cherokee Indian and Irish; my father is mostly Irish. My father traces his roots back to Daniel Boon, a honorable and decent man who lived in the hills of Kentucky, but it doesn't make him or me who we are, it is just our lineage.... My grandmother on my mothers side was the owner of a private Montessori school, and my mother taught there for over twenty years. I was raised in a family of educators.

So, we can say that I'm American as apple pie and as southern as it gets, and no one can accuse me of being some foreigner whose trying to spread mishap or lies! I am a person that loves my country and cherishes its' constitution, so when I attended this lecture, I was shocked and amazed at some of the historical incorrectness that I was brought up believing.

Before I get into all of the historical and intellectual aspects of this post, I want you to get a sense of who I am and how I was raised...

I accepted Islam in 2003, after a lot of deep soul searching and researching my religious beliefs in depth, with a clear heart. I had been spiritually nourished as a child, with a minimum of 2 days a week in and out of church and church functions. My grandmother insisted on my being baptised as a Catholic, but my mom instilled in me a Non-Denominational belief system. Speaking in tongues was not uncommon in my house. So, it was not out of ignorance or need for a belief that caused me to reform my understanding in God, but rather the clarity and intellectual nature of the Quran. Who can argue with doing as Jesus did and said, "Hear oh Israel! You God is One God! Worship Him with all your heart!", and this is the core Islamic Creed "There is nothing worthy of worship except for God, and He is one and without partner"....

This lecture on Muslims in Spain is something that all non-Muslims should take a peak at, and if you like, look a while longer into the subject. See how it was that the Muslims interacted with the West, ages before what we have been taught. Educate yourself and let not the system of Education educate you! Did you know that the first recorded words spoken, when Christopher Columbus met the first Native American, were As-salamu 'alaykum (Peace be upon you), the Muslim greeting. That to me, as an American and as a Muslim, is quite frankly.... AMAZING!

Didn't hear that one in History class, did you?! Didn't think so, neither did I!

I don't want these series of post to be about Muslims In Spain, so much as I do about the amazing things that we as Americans, who are bombarded with Anti-Islamic propaganda and negative images and ideas about Muslims, should really familiarize ourselves with, in order to see that there is a campaign to place a seal over our eyes, ears and minds, when it comes to who the Muslims really are and what they have donated and are owed, when it comes to so much of what we have.

Let us start with the idea and notion that Muslims are evil people, whose agenda is to take over the world by means of the sword, after all, it is what we are being taught...

FROM: www.sunnahonline.com

"Muslim Conquest of Spain"

"By 700 CE, with famine in the Toledo, strife among the aristocracy and chaos throughout the peninsula, the Visigothic kingdom was falling apart. This paved the way for the Muslim invasion of 711, which set Spain’s destiny quite apart from the rest of Europe.

Following the death of the Prophet (saaw) in 632 CE, the Arabs had spread through the Middle East and North Africa, bringing Islam with them. According to myth, they were ushered onto the Iberian Peninsula by the sexual exploits of the last Visigoth king, Roderick. Ballads and chronicles relate how he had seduced the young Florinda, daughter of Julian, Visigothic governor of Ceuta in north Africa: and how Julian sought revenge by approaching the Muslims with a plan to invade Spain. In dull fact, Julian probably just wanted help in a struggle for the Visigoth throne.

In 711 CE Tariq ibn Ziyad, the governor of Tangiers, landed in Gibraltar with around 10,000 men, mostly Berbers (indigenous North Africans). He had some of Roderick’s Visigoth rivals as allies. In the same or following year in the Cadiz province, Roderick’s army was decimated and he is thought to have drowned as he fled. The Visigothic survivors fled to the north of Spain, and within a few years, the Muslims had taken over the rest of the Iberian Peninsula bar a few areas in the Asturian Mountains bordering France. "

So, it was NOT the desire to kill all the non-believers?!!! Hum, interesting, because that is not how the major news networks and others have portrayed them. It was, in fact, to revenge the rape of a woman, and once there, the Muslims were asked to stay by the Jews and inhabitants of the many cities that lie inside the borders of this vast empire. Once the Muslims had attacked a city and chased away the opposing armies, they armed the citizens, Jews, and others and gave them the keys to the city. What barbarianism these Muslims displayed! After all, they could have been more like the nice Catholics,when they would seize back the Country of Spain a few centuries later, and gave the people these options: 1. Leave and remain Muslim, but you can NOT take you kids! 2. Stay, but you have to convert! No, they gave them weapons and the keys to the city and let them keep their religion! Absolutely amazing!

 I wonder were my high school history teacher is right now? I would like to ask her a few questions about what she had taught me concerning this topic!

You know, the more I look into this whole "Islam was spread by the sword thing", I end up loving the Muslims more and more... A tid bit of info for you history buffs: check out this lecture>

The Crusades- Islamic Perspectives lecture #19

ReleasedMay 25, 2011

Historian Carole Hillenbrand is among the world’s top scholars of the Crusades. Professor Emerita of Islamic History at the University of Edinburgh, her work focuses on the Islamic

In it we learn that the Christian Knights and fighters actually roasted and ate some of the Muslims that were killed, in the recapturing of Jerusalem. Its much less gory than what we are learning about the Muslims, who fought the fighters and left the others in peace......

Did you know that once the land became the Muslims, it became one of the most tolerant societies in history? So much so that they were mentioned in "A Letter Concerning Toleration", by John Locke, in 1689.

 It was also a place of Scholarship. One could go there and acquire vast knowledge on medicine, theology, philosophy, alchemy, poetry, language, engineering, etc.. The list of subjects that one could go and study is quite astounding. This was because of what is known as The Translation Period, where books were gathered from around the world and translated into Arabic, the language that had come to be the language of the world, so many had thought, but it was at least the language that was used by all academia in the east and of the Islamic Empire of that period. So, many scholars and intellects would travel from far and wide to the Muslim lands, and they would team up with other scholars, all speaking Arabic and their native language, and translate the knowledge found from the four corners of the world. This allowed others to come and become students of one subject or another, giving rise to the Renaissance Period that we all know so well.

What is so bad about that! They could have did like the Catholic Popes and banned reading and writing for all, except for the clergy! Whats wrong with those Mozlems!

Part II Coming Soon!
Please feel free to coment!
Yusuf Sneed