GOD IS NOT AMERICAN!
I received this e-mail (amongst much Xian propaganda I get at work) from my BOSS today. Actually, she is a really decent lady but still I haven't been able to adjust myself to the cultural difference of southern folk and their Jesusizms. The church is an important social tool here and thus I will continue to be an outsider, watching and observing these people. Also note I live in a predominantly REPUBLICAN state...AAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!
here is the e-mail...
Fwd: Please Read. I think this is important.
Just in case you might think of Iraq as only an oil-rich nation, ruled by an evil dictator for 30 years, here are some interesting notes regarding her history.
1. The garden of Eden was in Iraq.
2. Mesopotamia, now Iraq ,was the cradle of civilization.
3. Noah built the ark in Iraq.
4. The Tower of Babel was in Iraq.
5. Abraham was from Ur, which is in Southern Iraq.
6. Isaac's wife Rebekah is from Nahor in Iraq.
7. Jacob met Rachel in Iraq.
8. Jonah preached in Nineveh, which is in Iraq.
9. Assyria, which is in Iraq, conquered the ten tribes of Israel.
10. Amos cried out in Iraq.
11. Babylon (in Iraq) destroyed Jerusalem.
12. Daniel was in the lion's den in Iraq.
13. The 3 Hebrew children were in the fire in Iraq.
14. Belshazzar, the King of Babylon, saw the "writing on the wall" in Iraq.
15. Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, carried the Jews captive into Iraq.
16. Ezekiel preached in Iraq.
17. The wise men were from Iraq.
18. Peter preached in Iraq.
19. The "Empire of Man" described in Revelation is called Babylon, which was a city in Iraq.
Israel is the nation most often mentioned in the Bible, the nation most mentioned Iraq. However, this is not the name used in the Bible. The names used in the Bible are Babylon, Land of Shinar, and Mesopotamia. The word Mesopotamia means between the two rivers, more exactly between the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers. The name Iraq, means country with deep roots. Indeed Iraq is a country with deep roots and is a very significant country in the Bible.
* Eden was in Iraq--Genesis 2:10-14
* Adam &Eve were created in Iraq--Genesis 2:7-8
* Satan made his first recorded appearance in Iraq--Genesis 3:1-6
* Nimrod established Babylon &Tower of Babel was built in Iraq-- Genesis 10:8-97; 11:1-4
* The confusion of the languages took place in Iraq--Genesis 11:5-11
* Abraham came from a city in Iraq--Genesis 11:31; Acts 7:2-4
* Isaac's bride came from Iraq--Genesis 24:3-4; 10
* Jacob spent 20 years in Iraq--Genesis 27:42-45; 31:38
* The first world Empire was in Iraq--Daniel 1:1-2;2:36-38
* The greatest revival in history was in a city in Iraq--Jonah 3
* The events of the book of Esther took place in Iraq--Esther
* The book of Nahum was a prophecy against a city in Iraq--Nahum
* The book or Revelation has prophecies against Babylon, which was the old name for Iraq--Revelation 17 &18
No other nation, except Israel, has more history and prophecy associated with it than Iraq.
And just for pondering .......
America is typically represented by an eagle. Saddam should have read up on the Quran.
Quran (9:11) -- For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken a fearsome Eagle. The wrath of the Eagle would be felt throughout the lands of Allah and lo, while some of the people trembled in despair still more rejoiced; for the wrath of the Eagle cleansed the lands of Allah; and there was peace. Note the verse number.
ARE YOU SERIOUS?!!!!!! Oh and you think that because you sign my check that I'm just gonna read this type of crapola? You think because I'm fairly agreeable I'm not gonna let you know. You think because you a nice person that you will be spare the truth of this mass fwd e-mail. Lucky I didn't reply to all that received it.
So I'm not gonna touch the inaccuracies with the "interesting notes regarding her history." (Homie Stromie OMI I know you have much knowledge and sources on this...holla) Mind you THE BIBLE IS NOT HISTORY!!!!!!! But, I'm gonna givem that, charity. But I will not accept the spreading of concocted Surahs. I will not sit at work and watch a just as valid as Xian religion be bastardized by ignorance. Thus, my light weight response...
I believe most of the other information and correlations with Iraq are fairly accurate with exception to the excerpt supposedly from the Qur'an.
I was raised with Christian beliefs in my household as well as Islamic beliefs.
I don't think many people know the the core of Islam recognizes and acknowledges Jesus as a prophet as well as the words he preached.
But, please read the following because the information about Surah 9:11 IS INCORRECT! I believe it borders on bad propaganda. I'm sharing this because Islam is misunderstood for understandable reasons. Maybe we all can learn more and make a difference.
"and so it goes..."
[found on a website dispelling this Xian/Bush propaganda]
The rumor that a "son of Arabia would awaken a fearsome Eagle" is spoken of in Quran 9:11, or anywhere in the Quran, is NOT true.
Stephen Wright's response to an email query
"Quran (9:11) --For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken a fearsome Eagle. The wrath of the Eagle would be felt throughout the lands of Allah and lo, while some of the people trembled in despair still more rejoiced; for the wrath of the Eagle cleansed the lands of Allah; and there was peace. Note the verse number! "
Your hunch was correct.
Qur'an 9:11 says something completely unrelated to the apparently invented "quotation" that you received. I quote the Yusufali translation below from my website (www.wright-house.com/religions/islam/) of not only Surah 9 Ayah 11, but also of the surrounding Ayat (9-13). I also can't find anything remotely like that "quotation" anywhere else in the Qur'an.
In fact, what 9:11 says is that all those who repent, pray, and engage in charity are brothers in faith. The Qur'an recognizes the religious that worship God (that were present in that part of the world at that time--Jews, Christians, Sabians), and says their adherents will be saved (2:62 and 5:69).
According to a searchable database created by the Muslim Students Association at the University of Southern California (http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/reference/searchquran.html), the word "eagle" does not appear ANYWHERE in the Qur'an in ANY of the three translations that they provide (Yusufali, Pickthal, and Shakir).
Sometimes finding a reference in a translated work is a matter of alternate translations of key words. American symbolism holds the eagle to be noble and lofty (though Benjamin Franklin didn't want the national bird to be an eagle, because it was "a Bird of bad moral Character.") The symbolic significance of the eagle was not the same in all times and places. You may or may not be familiar with the verse in the Bible, Matthew 24:28, which reads "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together" (Revised Standard Version). There is a footnote that gives "vultures" as an alternate translation for "eagles" (after all, eagles scavenge on dead bodies too). I also checked the Qur'an database for "eagles," "vultures," "vulture," but there was not a single result.
There are 15 Ayat that contain the word "birds" (as in "birds of prey," a possible substitute for "eagles"), and 4 that contain the word "bird." Most of these are clearly talking about literal birds (such as birds singing praise to Allah, birds being given life by Allah, the miracle of flight being given by Allah), and none of them are anything like the "quotation" you received.
Believe it or not, the word "Arabia" does not appear anywhere in the Qur'an either. There is only one Ayah (in ANY Surah, e.g., in the entire Qur'an) that contains the word "Arab," and that has to do with the Qur'an being revealed to Muhammad (PBUH) in Arabic.
Surah 9. Repentance, Dispensation
9. The Signs of Allah have they sold for a miserable price, and (many) have they hindered from His way: evil indeed are the deeds they have done.
10. In a Believer they respect not the ties either of kinship or of covenant! It is they who have transgressed all bounds.
11. But (even so), if they repent, establish regular prayers, and practise regular charity,- they are your brethren in Faith: (thus) do We explain the Signs in detail, for those who understand.
12. But if they violate their oaths after their covenant, and taunt you for your Faith,- fight ye the chiefs of Unfaith: for their oaths are nothing to them: that thus they may be restrained.
13. Will ye not fight people who violated their oaths, plotted to expel the Messenger, and took the aggressive by being the first (to assault) you? Do ye fear them? Nay, it is Allah Whom ye should more justly fear, if ye believe!
I believe in light of all that is happening in Iraq the true meaning of Surah 9 is all the more poignant if we look at it a bit deeper with a little more open honestly.
~Afeni
...And folk wanna wonder why they hate U.S. so? Humph.
If you really read those Surahs you would be very afraid. Afraid of those with religious fervor. In light of whats happening with that Abu Gariab Prison, the mocking of these peoples not only faith but culture and even the US presence in Iraq altogether, know that there will be many Muslims that fear only Allah and in Allahs name will seek justice...if not now, at some point.
Amen.
