Hello Maria, So you were a Christian and converted to Islam, “the most beautiful religion?� Mind you tell us a bit about the beauties of Islam? We grew up also thinking Islam is the most beautiful religion. It is not that we were unable to see the evil that Muslims were doing, but we always told ourselves that this is not the real Islam and these people are abusing it. Then it happened that we started to educate ourselves about Islam and it was then that our eyes were opened. We found many things in the Quran and the sira of Muhammad that to us did not look beautiful at all. For example, Muhammad says women must be obedient to their man and if the man fears that his wife may rebel against him, he should admonish her (verbally abuse her), not sleep with her (emotionally abuse her) (this is easy for the man because he has other wives, but the woman will feel abandoned and ashamed in front her other co-wives) and beat her. Beat her! Oh la la! Did I read beat her? Yes beat her. That is what it says. It happens that I had a little daughter and I could not bear the thought of some savage raise hand on her. So I was a bit taken aback and wondered why would God give such law? It made no sense, but I continued reading. I found other things that were even worse. I found that Allah had ordered Muhammad to raid villages and take unarmed men out of their beds and slay them and then take their wives and daughters as slaves and sell them. Gazw means raid. Raid is not war. It is a terrorists ambush on civilians. OMG! So the terrorists are doing what the holy prophet did? I couldn’t believe it. But it was there in the Quran and hadith. How could I deny it? But that was not all. I also found that Muslims raped the women they captured in their raids and that the Quran had sanctioned such act. But if you think the sock ended there you are wrong. I also found that the holy prophet had always took the prettiest girls from his raids for himself. No, no, no, no! That can’t be. This Quran that I had bought from Iran must have been printed by Jews who inserted all these evil things in it to make Islam look bad. But when I checked other Qurans I found that it was true. The hadith and the sira were full of tales about the criminal activities of Muhammad and his companions. But how come I had never heard of them before? When I talked with other Muslims I saw no one knows about these things. No one had read the Quran and no one I knew had ever seen a book of Hdiths or knew what Sira means. Yes dear Maria, the religion of Muslims is based on ignorance. Muslims have no clue about Muhammad because they don’t read their own books. I am glad that you came to see Islam is beautiful. I tried hard to find any beauty in this religion for years and finally gave up in frustration. I prayed and prayed and I saw nothing beautiful. Maybe you are the answer to my yester year prayers. They say God’s time does not match ours. So dear Maria will you please tell us about the beauty of Islam? Muhammad said women are deficient in intelligence. Do you agree with that? Do you think this is a beautiful teaching? He said most women will go to hell because they disobey their husband. I think Muhammad’s idea of a good woman was an obedient dog. But hey, I am not a woman. Maybe you find all these teachings beautiful after all, (which would proves the SOB was right.) So tell us dear Maria, do you agree with Muhammad about women being deficient in intelligence? Is this a beautiful teaching? Do you like the idea of being beaten by your husband should he suspect that you disobey him? Is this a beautiful teaching too? What about having sex with a minor? You see, the holy prophet saw Aisha in his dream when she was a baby. When he married her she was only a six years old. When he took her to bed she was eight years nine months old. She was playing on a swing when her mother grabbed her, washed her face and took her to the house of the holy prophet (peace be upon him, because he needs it badly). Aisha later wrote she had no idea what was going on. Do you find that beautiful too? I thought women in Islam should consent to their marriage. Oh well, I knew in practice it is always the parents who decide, but at least this is what Muslims keep telling everyone. How an eight years old child can consent when she has no idea what marriage is? Tell us about the beauty of Islam dear Maria. For two years I prayed to see it and although I know I was sincere, all I could see was evil and filth. Finally you came along to open my eyes. I am so glad to have met you. I know what will be your response. You are going to say I am not worth it and that God has sealed my heart. If you say such thing you are pretending to be a partner of God. This is a huge sin. No one but God can know what is in the hearts of people. So instead of judging me tell me what did you see so beautiful in Islam. I failed to see it and I honestly want to know how. I asked this question from many Muslims and they all refused to answer. Doesn’t this mean that when push comes to shove they can’t find anything beautiful in Islam? I am also from Iran and used to think the mullahs have hijacked the beautiful Islam. But when I read the Quran, the sira and the hadith I realized they are following the footsteps of Muhammad and it is me who did not know Islam. You say those evil mullahs use fear and terror to dominate people. But this is exactly what Muhammad used, fear and terror. The Quran is full of fear mongering about hell and the punishment in the grave. Cheers Dr. Ali Sina [faithfreedom.org]

Hello my friend,

it's finally happening, this is the best we hoped for.

Now we sit on pins and needles in anticipation, in worry, and with great concern as those craving freedom and liberty bravely facing unbelievable risk and danger in their efforts to secure it.

The courage that's been displayed to this point is absolutely remarkable, the unity unmatched, and the strategy, in my opinion, extremely well thought out and focused.

The tyrant's response has been brutal, many have already made the ultimate sacrifice. Are you expecting the tyrants may escalate their response to Tiananmen Square proportions? Will Iranians do that to their own people? Would the people tolerate such a response or would it cause many in pro-government forces to defect?

There was an innocent naïveté I sensed among the Chinese students in TAM, don't misunderstand, they were brave, I just don't believe they understood the weight of the situation they faced. Iran feels different, the sense I get is they know exactally what they are up against. Where I'm at a loss is I lack intuitive understanding of the culture and the minds of the Mullahs you have. If I'm not mistaken then the Mullahs must also know. Would they effectively commit suicide understanding a massacre would result in such? Their faith in unity among their loyal should be shaken even now.

This is some bitter-sweet medicine, we never want to see good people harmed, and at the same time we are witnessing what in many ways resembles our own American Revolution. On one hand I'm worried and praying for them, on the other their actions in the face of incredible danger despite sacrifices already made on the alter of freedom have restored a sliver of hope for human kind in me that was nearly gone.

So much depends upon their victory, not just for them, but for so many global issues, Israel's survival, avoidance of world war and blood bath, and even the inspiration it would provide for others suffering under oppressive regimes, even while most peoples don't have what it takes to free themselves it would show tyrants they are not invincible and can be defeated and that could make them more pliable.

It would be beyond the greatest expectations of my later life that a day could come in which we'd be able to warmly embrace our Persian brothers and sisters and look to them with the kind of admiration one can only give to another who understands life without freedom has no meaning.

Minutes can seem like years awaiting an important verdict, but I'll take those minutes over any seconds spent existing where there is no hope. I'm hopeful on this one, Amil, I'm seeing a truely remarkable character in the opposition I haven't seen in any people in a very long time. It began as a political cause, and now transcended to the much purer one of Liberty vs Tyranny.

We've been given quite a gift in all this. A reason to hope.

I loved your article. I have been saying this for years and have written about it on my blog, listed above.
Keep the faith in peace!
Solidaridad!

L