For millions of Muslims, banks are institutions to be avoided. Islam is a religion which keeps Believers from the teller's window. Their Islamic beliefs prevent them from dealings that involve usury or interest (Riba). Yet Muslims need banking services as much as anyone and for many purposes: to finance new business ventures, to buy a house, to buy a car, to facilitate capital investment, to undertake trading activities, and to offer a safe place for savings. For Muslims are not averse to legitimate profit as Islam encourages people to use money in Islamically legitimate ventures, not just to keep their funds idle.

However, in this fast moving world, more than 1400 years after the Prophet (s.a.w.), can Muslims find room for the principles of their religion? The answer comes with the fact that a global network of Islamic banks, investment houses and other financial institutions has started to take shape based on the principles of Islamic finance laid down in the Qur'an and the Prophet's traditions 14 centuries ago. Islamic banking, based on the Qur'anic prohibition of charging interest, has moved from a theoretical concept to embrace more than 100 banks operating in 40 countries with multi-billion dollar deposits world-wide. Islamic banking is widely regarded as the fastest growing sector in the Middle Eastern financial services market. Exploding onto the financial scene barely thirty years ago, an estimated $US 70 billion worth of funds are now managed according to Shari'ah. Deposit assets held by Islamic banks were approximately $US5 billion in 1985 but grew over $60 billion in 1994.

The best known feature of Islamic banking is the prohibition on interest. The Qur'an forbids the charging of Riba on money lent. It is important to understand certain principles of Islam that underpin Islamic finance. The Shari'ah consists of the Qur'anic commands as laid down in the Holy Qur'an and the words and deeds of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.). The Shari'ah disallows Riba and there is now a general consensus among Muslim economists that Riba is not restricted to usury but encompasses interest as well. The Qur'an is clear about the prohibition of Riba, which is sometimes defined as excessive interest. "O You who believe! Fear Allah Almighty and give up that remains of your demand for usury, if you are indeed believers." Muslim scholars have accepted the word Riba to mean any fixed or guaranteed interest payment on cash advances or on deposits. Several Qur'anic passages expressly admonish the faithful to shun interest.

The rules regarding Islamic finance are quite simple and can be summed up as follows:  

• Islamic Banking - Any predetermined payment over and above the actual amount of principal is prohibited.

• Islamic Banking - The lender must share in the profits or losses arising out of the enterprise for which the money was lent.

• Islamic Banking -Making money from money is not Islamically

  acceptable.

• Islamic Banking -Gharar (Uncertainty, Risk or Speculation) is also prohibited.

• Islamic Banking -Investments should only support practices or products that are not forbidden

Shirk is ascribing a partner to Allah in terms of His Rububiyyah (Lordship), Asma wa Sifaat (Names and Attributes) and Uloohiyyah (Worship). The common type of Shirk is the Shirk in Uloohiyyah, which entails supplicating others along with Allah, or dedicating to them worships such as, offerings, vows, reverence, fear, hope, and devotional love.
Shirk is the gravest of all sins due to the following:

1. It is resembling the creatures with the Creator in terms of the attributes of Divinity , for he who ascribes a partner to Allah; he in effect resembles him with Him (Allah). This is the gravest injustice. Allah says: "Verily, Shirk is gross injustice." [Soorah Luqman (31): 13] Injustice signifies putting a thing in a wrong place. Thus, he who worships other than Allah, he places the worship in a place other than its own, and dedicates it to one who does not deserve it; hence, it is gross injustice.

2. Allah has stated that He does not forgive the one who does now disavow Shirk . He says:

"Surely, Allah will not forgive (the sins of) ascribing partners to Him, but He will forgive whatever is short of that to whoever He wishes." [Soorah an-Nisa (4): 48]

3. Allah has stated that a Mushrik (one who commits Shirk) shall be banned from Jannah (Paradise) and that he shall live in Hell-fire forever. Allah, the Exalted, says: "Surely, whoever ascribes a partner to Allah, Allah shall bar him from Jannah and Hell-fire shall be his abode, and the wrongdoers shall have no helpers." [Soorah al-Maidah (5): 72]

4. Shirk nullifies all good deeds. Allah, the Exalted, says: "Were they to commit Shirk, then the good deeds, which they accomplish, would have been nullified." [Soorah al-Anam (6): 88] And Allah says: "It has been revealed to you and to those before you, if you commit Shirk your good deeds shall be nullified and you shall certainly be of the losers." [Soorah az-Zumar (39): 65]


5. The Shirk is the graves of all major sins. The Messenger of Allah (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said: "Shall I inform you about the graves of all major sins?" We (Sahabah) said: "Certainly, O Messenger of Allah." He said: "Ascribing partners to Allah, and disobeying parents."

Ibn al-Qayyim said: "Allah has asserted that the purpose of the creation and the commands is that He should be recognized by His Names and Attributes and be worshiped alone, with no partners ascribed to Him, and that people should maintain justice through which the heavens and the earths were established. Allah, the Exalted, says: "Verily, We sent Our Messengers with clear proofs, and sent down with them the Book and the Balance (justice) that people may establish justice." [Soorah al-Hadid (57): 25]

Allah informed us that He sent the Messengers and revealed the Books for people to establish justice. The greatest form of justice is Tawheed, which is its spearhead and backbone, and Shirk is injustice. Allah says: "Surely, Shirk is the greatest Zulm (wrong) indeed." [Soorah Luqman (31): 13]

Shirk is the gravest form of injustice, and Tawheed is the best form of justice. Hence, whatever opposes this purpose most is considered as the gravest of all major sins. Ibn al-Qayyim went on to say: "And since Shirk in particular opposes that purpose, it is absolutely the gravest of all major sins,… Allah, Glory be to Him, neither accepts a good deed performed by a Mushrik, not an intercession made in his favor. He does not respond to his supplication, or accepts his hope for having it fulfilled. The Mushrik is the most ignorant of Allah for setting a rival from creatures to the One Who created them, which is the worst type of ignorance and the worst type of injustice on the part of the Mushrik. Even though the Mushrik does not wrong his Rabb (Lord) by his Shirk, but in reality he wrongs his own self."

7. Shirk is defaming and derogatory from which Allah declared Himself far removed. He who ascribes a partner to Allah, he in effect asserts to Allah what Allah declares Himself free from, and this is the worst form of opposition and defiance to Allah, the Exalted.

B. The Types of Shirk: Shirk is of two types:

THE FIRST TYPE : Greater Shirk, which constitutes apostasy, and condemns the person who practices it to Hell-Fire, and to live therein eternally if he does not relinquish it before death. Shirk is devoting an act of worship to other than Allah, such as; supplication, vows, offerings that are made to jinn, graves or Shaytaan.

Fear of dead, jinn and Shaytaan that they may harm or sicken him and hope for things from others that only Allah can provide such as fulfilling needs and granting relief as practiced nowadays around tombs that are built on graves of pious people. Allah says: "and they worship, instead of Allah that which neither harm nor profit them, and they say, 'These are our intercessors with Allah.'" [Soorah Yunus (10): 18]

THE SECOND TYPE : Lesser Shirk, which does not constitute apostasy, but defects the Tawheed, and is conducive to greater Shirk. It is of two kinds:

1) The first kind: Obvious Shirk which constitutes of UTTERANCES and ACTIONS.

As for the b>UTTERANCES, such as swearing by other than Allah; the Messenger of Allah (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said: "He who swears by other than Allah, commits Kufr, or Shirk." [At-Tirmidhee and others]

Or making a statement such as: "Whatever Allah wills and you will."

This statement was made by a man to the Prophet (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam) who objected his statement saying: "Have you made me a rival to Allah? Say: 'Whatever Allah Alone wills."

Or a statement like this, 'Had it not been for Allah and so and so.'

The correct statements are: "Whatever Allah wills and then you will." Because the participle 'then' denotes sequence as well as delay, thus to signify that the will of the slave is subservient to the will of Allah. Allah says: "And you will do nothing unless Allah, the Rabb of the worlds wills it to be done." [Soorah at-Takwir (81): 29]

As for 'and' it signifies absolute combination and association, it does not necessitate order or sequence. Similar to those statement are: 'I have none to resort to except Allah and you' or, 'This is from the blessings of Allah and your blessings.'

As for ACTIONS, such as wearing a ring or a thread for the purpose of warding-off evil, or wearing talismanic outfit or other items for fear of bad eye, or otherwise, if the person who wears them believes that such things are the means of warding-off evil or bringing relief. In that case, wearing them is considered as lesser Shirk, because Allah does not make things as means of protection. But if he believes that these things themselves ward-off evil, then such belief constitutes a major Shirk because he depends on other than Allah.

2) The second kind: The hidden Shirk pertains to intentions and wills such as acting hypocritically and fame – that is, to do a thing which usually is done as a means for seeking nearness to Allah, but does it only so that people commend him for it; such as performing Salat in a perfect manner, or giving charitable gift to be praised, or raising his voice with the Dhikr (remembrance of Allah) or reciting Qur'aan for people to hear him and praise him. When an act of worship is done in Riya (doing an act of worship in order to make people see it or hear it), it would be nullified. Allah, the Exalted, says: "So let him who hope to meet his Rabb do good deeds without ascribing a partner to Allah in worshipping his Rabb." [Soorah al-Kahf (18): 110]

The Prophet (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said: "The thing I fear most that you may commit is the lesser Shirk." They asked: 'O Messenger of Allah, what is the lesser Shirk?' He replied: "Riyaa." [Ahmed and at-Tabaranee]

Under this kind falls doing acts of worship for worldly gains, such as performing Hajj, calling our the Adhan (the call for prayer), leading Salaat for money, fame, etc or acquiring knowledge, or fighting in the cause of Allah for money, fame, etc. The Prophet * said: "May the slave of dinar be degraded, may the slave of dirham be degraded, may slave of garment be degraded, for if he is given, he would be satisfied, and if he is not given he is dissatisfied." [Saheeh al-Bukharee]

Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullah) said: "As for Shirk which is pertinent to will and intention, it resembles a sea without coast; very few of those who escape it. He who intends by doing good deeds to please other than Allah, and intends to do a thing not for the sake of coming near to Allah, and requested the reward from other than Allah, commits Shirk in terms of intention.

While sincerity is to dedicate all acts of worship and utterances and intentions sincerely to Allah and this is the genuine Hanifiyyah, the deen of Ibraheem which Allah commands all of his slaves to follow. Allah does not accept any other deen from anyone. It is the essence of Islam, as Allah, the Exalted, says: "And he who wants a deen other than Islam, it shall not be accepted from him, and in the world to come he shall be among the losers." [Soorah Al-Imran (3): 85]

It is the deen of Ibraheem, that Allah saved from evil and only the light-witted turns away from it. The Differences between Greater Shirk and Lesser Shirk .

The following differences between the Greater Shirk and the Lesser Shirk are deduced from the above mentioned:

1. The greater Shirk constitutes apostasy, while the lesser Shirk does not constitute apostasy.

2. The greater Shirk condemns the one who practices it to eternal like in the Fire. Whereas the lesser Shirk does not condemn the one who practices it to eternal life in the Fire if he enters it.

Jihad  an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God (al-jihad fi sabil Allah)". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is mujahideen. Jihad is an important religious duty for Muslims. A minority among the Sunni scholars sometimes refer to this duty as the sixth pillar of Islam, though it occupies no such official status.In Twelver Shi'a Islam, however, Jihad is one of the 10 Practices of the Religion.
Jihad in Islam, a term meaning "struggle"; used without any qualifiers it is generally understood in the West to refer to a "holy war" on behalf of Islam.
Muslims use the word in a religious context to refer to three types of struggles: an internal struggle to maintain faith, the struggle to improve the Muslim society, or the struggle to defend Islam.The prominent British-American orientalist Bernard Lewis argues that in the Quran and the ahadith jihad implies warfare in the large majority of cases.In a commentary of the hadith Sahih Muslim, entitled al-Minhaj, the medieval Islamic scholar Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi stated that "one of the collective duties of the community as a whole (fard kifaya) is to lodge a valid protest, to solve problems of religion, to have knowledge of Divine Law, to command what is right and forbid wrong conduct".
In western societies the term jihad is often translated as "holy war". Scholars of Islamic studies often stress that these words are not synonymous.Muslim authors, in particular, tend to reject such an approach, stressing non-militant connotations of the word.

Origin

The beginnings of Jihad are traced back to the words and actions of Muhammad and the Quran.This encourages the use of Jihad against non-Muslims. The Quran, however, never uses the term Jihad for fighting and combat in the name of Allah; qital is used to mean “fighting.” The struggle for Jihad in the Quran was originally intended for the nearby neighbors of the Muslims, but as time passed and more enemies arose, the Quranic statements supporting Jihad were updated for the new adversaries.The first documentation of the law of Jihad was written by ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Awza’i and Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani. The document grew out of debates that had surfaced ever since Muhammad's death.

Usage of the term

In Modern Standard Arabic, jihad is one of the correct terms for a struggle for any cause, violent or not, religious or secular (though كفاح kifāḥ is also used).For instance, Mahatma Gandhi's satyagraha struggle for Indian independence is called a "jihad" in Modern Standard Arabic (as well as many other dialects of Arabic); the terminology is also applied to the fight for women's liberation.
The term 'jihad' has accrued both violent and non-violent meanings. It can simply mean striving to live a moral and virtuous life, spreading and defending Islam as well as fighting injustice and oppression, among other things.The relative importance of these two forms of jihad is a matter of controversy. A poll by Gallup showed that a "significant majority" of Muslim Indonesians define the term to mean "sacrificing one's life for the sake of Islam/God/a just cause" or "fighting against the opponents of Islam". In Lebanon, Kuwait, Jordan, and Morocco, the majority used the term to mean "duty toward God", a "divine duty", or a "worship of God", with no militaristic connotations. Other responses referenced, in descending order of prevalence:

• "A commitment to hard work" and "achieving one's goals in life"
• "Struggling to achieve a noble cause"
• "Promoting peace, harmony or cooperation, and assisting others"
• "Living the principles of Islam"

Best Jihad

During the Arab spring, many peaceful demonstrations in Arab countries faced violence and gunfire by their government's regime. The gunfires encouraged the protests and fed them to revolutions, based on their strong faith of what is called "the best Jihad". The best Jihad was encouraged by their prophet, Muhammad, saying:

"The best Jihad is the word of Justice in front of the oppressive Sultan [ruler]."

In a battlefield context, when jihad is used to denote warfare, Ibn Nuhaas cited the following hadith to explain the meaning of the "best Jihad":

Ibn Habbaan narrates: The Messenger of Allah was asked about the best jihad. He said: “The best jihad is the one in which your horse is slain and your blood is spilled.” [Al Baqarah 15]

In a similarly worded Hadith to the one above, Ibn Nuhaas cited a hadith from Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, where it states the the highest kind of Jihad, is "“The person who is killed whilst spilling the last of his blood.”[Ahmed 4/144]
It has also been reported that Muhammad considered performing hajj to be the best jihad for Muslim women.

Spiritual struggle

Muslim scholar Mahmoud Ayoub states that "The goal of true jihad is to attain a harmony between islam (submission), iman (faith), and ihsan (righteous living)."
In modern times, Pakistani scholar and professor Fazlur Rahman Malik has used the term to describe the struggle to establish "just moral-social order",while President Habib Bourguiba of Tunisia has used it to describe the struggle for economic development in that country.

Warfare (Jihad bil Saif)

Further information: Mujahideen, Jihadism, and Jihad fi sabil Allah

Within classical Islamic jurisprudence—the development of which is to be dated into the first few centuries after the prophets death—jihad is the only form of warfare permissible under Islamic law, and may consist in wars against unbelievers, apostates, rebels, highway robbers and dissenters renouncing the authority of Islam. The primary aim of jihad as warfare is not the conversion of non-Muslims to Islam by force, but rather the expansion and defense of the Islamic state.In later centuries, especially in the course of the colonization of large parts of the Muslim world, emphasis has been put on non-militant aspects of the jihad. Today, Muslim authors only recognize wars with the aim of territorial defense as well as the defense of religious freedom as legitimate.

Whether the Quran sanctions defensive warfare only or commands an all out war against non-Muslims depends on the interpretation of the relevant passages.This is because it does not explicitly state the aims of the war Muslims are obliged to wage; the passages concerning jihad rather aim at promoting fighters for the Islamic cause and do not discuss military ethics.
In the classical manuals of Islamic jurisprudence, the rules associated with armed warfare are covered at great length. Such rules include not killing women, children and non-combatants, as well as not damaging cultivated or residential areas. More recently, modern Muslims have tried to re-interpret the Islamic sources, stressing that Jihad is essentially defensive warfare aimed at protecting Muslims and Islam. Although some Islamic scholars have differed on the implementation of Jihad, there is consensus amongst them that the concept of jihad will always include armed struggle against persecution and oppression.
According to the BBC, when it comes to warfare, Muslims have to obey very strict rules in order to be legitimate:

• The opponent must always have started the fighting.
• It must not be fought to gain territory.
• It must be launched by a religious leader.
• It must be fought to bring about good - something that Allah will approve of.
• Every other way of solving the problem must be tried before resorting to war.
• Innocent people should not be killed.
• Women, children, or old people should not be killed or hurt.
• Women must not be raped.
• Enemies must be treated with justice.
• Wounded enemy soldiers must be treated in exactly the same way as one's own soldiers.
• The war must stop as soon as the enemy asks for peace.
• Property must not be damaged.
• Poisoning wells is forbidden. The modern analogy would be chemical or biological warfare.

Debate

Controversy has arisen over whether the usage of the term jihad without further explanation refers to military combat, and whether some have used confusion over the definition of the term to their advantage.
Middle East historian Bernard Lewis argues that "the overwhelming majority of classical theologians, jurists, and traditionalists (specialists in the hadith) understood the obligation of jihad in a military sense."Furthermore, Lewis maintains that for most of the recorded history of Islam, from the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad onward, the word jihad was used in a primarily military sense.
Bernard Lewis' interpretation on Jihad is partially correct according to Fiqh Made Easy: A Basic Textbook of Islamic Law which describes Jihad as being "divided into four types:

1. Jihad against the soul: Struggling against the soul to yearn for the Religion, act upon those teachings, and call others to them. (Paraphrased)
2. Jihad against Shaytan: Struggling against Satan without doubts or desires.
3. Jihad against the disbelievers and hypocrites: this is done with the tongue, hand, heart and wealth.
4. Jihad against heretics, liars, and evilfolk: This is best done with the hand, if not the hand then the tongue, if that's not possible then the heart.

Views of different Muslim groups

Sunni

Jihad has been classified either as al-jihād al-akbar (the greater jihad), the struggle against one's soul (nafs), or al-jihād al-asghar (the lesser jihad), the external, physical effort, often implying fighting (this is similar to the shiite view of jihad as well).
Gibril Haddad has analyzed the basis for the belief that internal jihad is the "greater jihad", Jihad al-akbar. Haddad identifies the primary historical basis for this belief in a pair of similarly worded hadith, in which Mohammed is reported to have told warriors returning home that they had returned from the lesser jihad of struggle against non-Muslims to a greater jihad of struggle against lust. Although Haddad notes that the authenticity of both hadeeth is questionable, he nevertheless concludes that the underlying principle of superiority internal jihad does have a reliable basis in the Quran and other writings.
In contrast, the Hanbali scholar Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya did believe that "internal Jihad" is important but he suggests those hadith as weak which consider "Jihad of the heart/soul" to be more important than "Jihad by the sword". Contemporary Islamic scholar Abdullah Yusuf Azzam has argued the hadith is not just weak but "is in fact a false, fabricated hadith which has no basis. It is only a saying of Ibrahim Ibn Abi `Abalah, one of the Successors, and it contradicts textual evidence and reality."
Muslim jurists explained there are four kinds of jihad fi sabilillah (struggle in the cause of God):

• Jihad of the heart (jihad bil qalb/nafs) is concerned with combatting the devil and in the attempt to escape his persuasion to evil. This type of Jihad was regarded as the greater jihad (al-jihad al-akbar).
• Jihad by the tongue (jihad bil lisan) is concerned with speaking the truth and spreading the word of Islam with one's tongue.
• Jihad by the hand (jihad bil yad) refers to choosing to do what is right and to combat injustice and what is wrong with action.
• Jihad by the sword (jihad bis saif) refers to qital fi sabilillah (armed fighting in the way of God, or holy war), the most common usage by Salafi Muslims and offshoots of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Some contemporary Islamists have succeeded in replacing the greater jihad, the fight against desires, with the lesser jihad, the holy war to establish, defend and extend the Islamic state.

Sufic

The Sufic view classifies "Jihad" into two; the "Greater Jihad" and the "Lesser Jihad". Muhammad put the emphasis on the "greater Jihad" by saying that "Holy is the warrior who is at war with himself".In this sense external wars and strife are seen but a satanic counterfeit of the true "jihad" which can only be fought and won within; no other Salvation existing can save man without the efforts of the man himself being added to the work involved of self-refinement. In this sense it is the western view of the Holy Grail which comes closest to the Sufic ideal; for to the Sufis Perfection is the Grail; and the Holy Grail is for those who after they become perfect by giving all they have to the poor then go on to become "Abdal" or "changed ones" like Enoch who was "taken" by God because he "walked with God". (Genesis:5:24) here the "Holy Ones" gain the surname "Hadrat" or "The Presence".

Islamic Jihadi groups

The Assassins - 1124

The fedayeen were the ardent followers of Hasan-i Sabbah (d. 1124), a leader of Ismail Shia in Iran, Iraq, and in Syria. Known to the west as the Assassins.The Assassins are regarded as "the first group to make systematic use of murder as a political weapon." Established in Iran and Syria in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, they used assassination and terrorism with the aim of overthrowing Sunni Islam's order and establishing their own.

Fedayeen-i Islam

The most open and clear religious fedayeen in the modern period were the Fedayeen-i Islam. Through assassinations of secular officials they aimed at changing the regime in Iran towards Islamization and introduce Sharia law.
In the 1890s the Shiite leadership in Iran became very involved in violence, terrorism via Fedayeen-i Islam. Meaning the "self-sacrificers of Islam" they followed Shia theology, targeting British and Russian officials for assassination.
Ayatollah Khomeini, leader of the Shiites in Iran was from the same area as the earlier "assassins". The Hur Brotherhood was another group of Assassins that emerged from a combination of religion and politics in the 1890s, modern fedayeen, like the Assassins, find strength in the promise of a reward in "paradise."
The Ayatollah was very involved with the Fedayeen-i Islam who had a "network of holy killers engaged in repeated attempts at political assassinations." In 1944 he published: Kashf al-Asrar ("the Revealing of Secrets"), served as a guidance for the violent Fedayeen.Indeed, the militant group covered for the Ayatollah Khomeini until he became in power.

Muslim brotherhood

In 1928, Hassan al-Banna founded the Muslim Brotherhood, a rigidly conservative and highly secretive Egyptian-based organization dedicated to resurrecting a Muslim empire (Caliphate). According to al-Banna, "It is the nature of Islam to dominate, not to be dominated, to impose its law on all nations and to extend its power to the entire planet."The Muslim Brotherhood, also called Muslim Brethren (jamiat al-Ikhwan al-muslimun, literally Society of Muslim Brothers), it opposes secular tendencies of Islamic nations and wants return to the precepts of the Quran, and rejection of Western influences. Al Bana was Born out of the extreme Muslim right wing's desire to counter the ideology of modernization, the Brotherhood's platform included a strict interpretation of the Quran (Quran) that glorified suicidal violence. Along with Al Banna, the grand Mufti of Jerusalem Haj-al Amin Al-Husseini was also an enormously influential Muslim leader of the time. Together, the two created a powerful and popular Islamist party by classically appealing to fundamentalist Islamic principals while blaming the world's problems on the Jews.Al-Banna also gave the group the motto it still uses today: "Allah is our purpose, the Prophet our leader, the Quran our constitution, jihad our way and dying for God our supreme objective." The 9/11 Commission Report states the Brotherhood's influence on Osama bin Laden and on Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman responsible for the 1993 attack on the WTC.  An important aspect of the Muslim Brotherhood ideology is the sanctioning of Jihad such as the 2004 fatwa issued by Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi making it a religious obligation of Muslims to abduct and kill U.S. citizens in Iraq.
It advocated a war of Arabism and Islamic Jihad against the British and the Jews.
The Muslim brotherhood waged a "Holy war" against Syria after the Hama massacre.
The BBC explains how the roots of Jihad and the origins of Bin Laden's concept of jihad can be traced back to two early 20th century figures, who started powerful Islamic revivalist movements in response to colonialism and its aftermath. al-Banna blamed the western idea of separation between religion and politics for Muslims' decline. In the 1950s Sayed Qutb, Muslim Brotherhood's prominent member, took the arguments of al-Banna even further. For Qutb, "all non-Muslims were infidels - even the so-called people of the book, the Christians and Jews," he also predicted an eventual clash of civilisations between Islam and the west. "Qutb inspired a whole generation of Islamists, including Ayatollah Khomeini." The Muslim world widely accepted his ideology post Arabs' defeat in the 1967 war.
The Muslim Brotherhood has been involved in violent attacks. From its Islamic theme in its symbolism: on its flag there's a brown square frames a green circle with a white perimeter. Two swords cross inside the circle beneath a red Quran. The cover of the Quran says: "Truly, it is the Generous Quran." The Arabic beneath the sword handles translates as "Be prepared." A reference to a Quranic verse that talks of preparing to fight the enemies of God.It is among 17 groups categorized as "terrorist organizations" by the Russian government,as well as in Egypt, where they started to perform terrorist attacks, now banned by that government.
Scholar states that in "The Muslim Brotherhood's Conquest of Europe," its real goal is to extend Islamic law Sharia throughout Europe and the United States
Contemporary Islamism holds that Islam is now under attack, and therefore -experts explain-

Jihad is now a war of defense, and as such has become not only a collective duty but an individual duty without restrictions or limitations. That is, to the Islamists, Jihad is a total, all-encompassing duty to be carried out by all Muslims – men and women, young and old. All infidels, without exception, are to be fought and annihilated, and no weapons or types of warfare are barred. Furthermore, according to them, current Muslim rulers allied with the West are considered apostates and infidels. One major ideological influence in Islamist thought was Sayyid Qutb. Qutb, an Egyptian, was the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood movement. He was convicted of treason for plotting to assassinate Egyptian president Gamal Abd Al-Nasser and was executed in 1966. He wrote extensively on a wide range of Islamic issues. According to Qutb, "There are two parties in all the world: the Party of Allah and the Party of Satan – the Party of Allah which stands under the banner of Allah and bears his insignia, and the Party of Satan, which includes every community, group, race, and individual that does not stand under the banner of Allah." 

In the "Holy land foundation" case of the Palestinian Arab al-Arian's involvement in funding terror organization, the Muslim Brotherhood's papers detailed plan to seize U.S. The Group's takeover plot emerged when revealed a handful of classified evidence detailing Islamist extremists' ambitious plans for a U.S. takeover. Terrorism researchers said "the memos and audiotapes, many translated from Arabic and containing detailed strategies by the international Islamist group the Muslim Brotherhood, are proof that extremists have long sought to replace the Constitution with Shariah, or Islamic law," paving its way via a plot to form "a complex network of seemingly benign Muslim organizations whose real job, according to the (US) government, was to spread militant propaganda and raise money." The Muslim Brotherhood created some American Muslim groups and sought influence in others, many of which are listed as unindicted co-conspirators in the Holy Land case, such as CAIR.

On a website devoted to Ramadhan, the Muslim Brotherhood posted a series of articles by Dr. Ahmad 'Abd Al-Khaleq about Al-Walaa Wa'l-Baraa, an Islamic doctrine which, in its fundamentalist interpretation, stipulates absolute allegiance to the community of Muslims and total rejection of non-Muslims and of Muslims who have strayed from the path of Islam. In his articles, the writer argues that according to this principle, a Muslim can come closer to Allah by hating all non-Muslims -Christians, Jews, atheists, or polytheists - and by waging jihad against them in every possible manner. 

Indeed, the Muslim Brotherhood has a long-standing war on the West. From 1948 until the 1970s it engaged in assassinations and terrorism in Egypt, and has indoctrinated many who went on to commit acts of terror.     Muslim Brotherhood's supreme guide issued the statement that Al Qaeda's "Bin Laden is a Jihad Fighter."
The accused mastermind of the 9/11 terror massacre, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was raised in Kuwait and joined the Muslim Brotherhood at age 16.

Jihad In Kashmir

Today Pakistan is faced more with adamant Hindu chauvinism riding on the election campaign of Bharatiya Janta Party to retain power at all cost even if it comes to ruling the graves and 'shamshans'. India at the moment is a state without a statesman who can lead the people by the hand to serve the country and the nation.
Ground realities do not demand a war or a war-like situation for the third time of the fifty years of the existence of the country, the powers that are in India would sadly be mistaken if they think that war is always a solution to the problem. Bullying tactics and that too on the advice of a so-called friend whose track record is that he has never been a friend in need to his professed ally will be the greatest mistake of India - 'DUSHMAN RA NA TAMA HAQEER BECHARA SHAMURD' meaning thereby that the enemy should not be taken to be weakling. Pakistan may be a smaller country in size but not in brain, brawn and manpower, the history of Islam for the last fourteen hundred years is full of the deeds of heroes on the battlefields, every able bodied Musalman in Pakistan is a veritable soldier and fighter and takes inspiration from Jang-e-Badar when more than a thousand years ago 313 Musalmans were pitted against 1,000 non-Muslims who were defeated leaving behind a large booty in men and material.
India at the moment is faced with a lost diplomatic battle in the United Nations in the face which the Indian rulers are trying to consolidate their hold on the Muslim population of Kashmir in the face of a solemn promise given by the first Indian Prime Minister to hold a plebiscite in Kashmir. The Indian Prime Minister could not rise to the level of a statesman to stand by his words and hold the plebiscite. According to the biographers of Pundit Nehru, Kashmir has become an article of faith with him simply because he himself hailed from Kashmir. Kashmir is not the problem of India as such, it is only a problem of the rulers, the legacy of which has been handed down by Pundit Nehru the first Prime Minister who ruled for sixteen years and his daughter ruled for another ten years with his grandson for another couple of years. People in Shillong in Assam and Trevendrum in South are least interested to suffer the devastation and death of wars to retain Kashmir against the will of the Kashmiris. India would be better advised if nothing else to hold a plebiscite on Indian soil on this issue. Surely no Indian would like to face the devastation and death in order to keep a particular set of rulers in power.
The Nawab of Junagarh signed the accession of its state to Pakistan but the people being Hindu in majority, the state was forcibly taken over by India, should not Kashmir go the same way inspite of the instrument of accession signed by the Hindu Maharaja under Indian coercion and against the will of the people. India has no moral, legal or international right to hold Kashmir simply because United Nations is a weak international body which cannot give effect to its own resolutions.
The present fight in Kargil, Drass and Batalek sector will prove a waterloo for Hindu chauvinism and military adventurism, the people over there have been dubbed as intruders temporarily though with the successful diplomatic efforts of India, diplomacy is no answer to the spirit of Jihad, where people like Shaheed Major Mohammed Kazim lose their lives but retain the objective. It is a slur to call such persons as intruders, he is the man from Kharmang Baltistan who graduated from Gordon College Rawalpindi and could not be recruited in Pakistan Army and he joined the Azad Kashmir Regular Forces (AKRF) as a commissioned officer, he gallantly fought on different fronts of Kashmir for 11 years and in recognition of his gallantry in 1963-64 Captain Mohammed Kazim was decorated with Sitara-e-Jurat award by President Mohammed Ayub Khan and was also given special commission in Pakistan Army. Major Kazim fought gallantly in 1965 war with India, his devotion to duty and act of bravery and gallantry led him to Behrab Bazaar in East Pakistan in 1971 where he gave his life for the cause of Pakistan, it is not possible to kill the undaunted spirit of man and it will not be possible for India to do so in Kargil and rule over graveyards and 'shamshans' in their own country. Let India not forget that diplomats are always diplomats where spirit of truth and bravery are only bywords and their meaning may be different on different occasions. This is what happened in 1971 and this can happen in 1999. This is how American diplomacy runs, the only interest of USA is to back up India to an extent where it can prove an effective adversary to China and when the American task is done and India will be treated like a used shell as they did with the then policeman of the East, Raza Shah Pahalvi who could not even get an inch of land in USA for his graveyard which President Anwar Saadat condescended to offer for the royal matrimonial alliance between the rulers of Egypt and the fallen ruler of Iran.
Hindu all over India are advised to understand the spirit of Jihad which has been an article of faith for the Musalmans right from the day the Holy Prophet (SAW) led the battle of Badar in 623 AD. When a Musalman goes for Jihad he carries his coffin with him as a part of his military outfit with the hope of becoming a Shaheed who never dies and goes to heaven and if per chance he returns, he is a Ghazi - the Victorious. It was this spirit with the 313 Mujahideens in the Ghazawa-e-Badar in 623 AD which routed 1,000 non-Muslims, there were the Mujahideens fighting in Afghanistan who defeated another Super Power to ashes and there are the Mujahideens fighting in Kargil, Drass and Batalek and not the Pakistan Army, but when it comes to a war India will have to face 13 crore Mujahideens who are inspired by the spirit of Kalma-e-Tayyaba - LA ILLAHA ILLALAH MOHAMMEDUR RASOOL ALLAH with implicit faith in God and ready to lay down their lives as Shaheed. The Indian rulers must realize that their own caste system is going to pay back in their own coins and fifteen crores of Harijans would take it as an opportunity to get rid of their scheduled place in Indian society with political upheavals in East, West and South. In India, on top of it this is the last chance for Kashmiris and Pakistanis to stand up and rise to the occasion against the military adventurism of India backed by G-8 and led by the sole super power. The great super power is a great champion of human rights, but their conscience is dead when it comes to Kashmir where 60,000 people have been killed by the Indian Army. Were they intruders? World conscience must move to protest against murder, loot and arsons in Kashmir by the armed forces of India. Where the only interest of America is to prop up India as an effective adversary to China and obtain India's signatures on CTBT and NPT and add another feather to its cap before the Presidential Elections in America. This is the time now for Pakistan full of martial races and spirit to fight the followers of Ghandhian philosophy of 'Ahimsa' in India who are being misled by a handful of upper class Hindus and oppose India's main supportter.

"O children of Adam, we have provided you with garments to cover your bodies, as well as for luxury. But the best garment is the garment of righteousness. These are some of Allah’s signs, that they may take heed." [7:26]

Today we find the Muslim community most divided on one subject: the veil or hijab. Despite the clear rulings ofSharia on this subject, many people claim that the order for women to cover all but their faces and hands is not found in Islam.

In this brief treatment, we will cite proofs from the source texts of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) from which the obligation of veiling is derived.

The Arabic word for "veiling" is hijab. Lexically it means "cover", and in Islam it means two things:

Woman's clothing such as the head-to-toe garment specifically called jilbab and khimar.

Separation of the places where men and women respectively congregate.

Obligation of Hijab as Stated in Qur'an

"O Prophet! Tell your wives and daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (jalabib) close round them (when they go abroad)..." (33:59)

Ibn Rushd in Bidaya al-Mujtahid (1:83) said that this verse has been adduced as proof that no part of a woman's body should be evident to those who are not among the prohibited degrees of relationship (mahram) or her husband. Al-Qurtubi in his commentary on the verse said that the jilbab is the cloak that conceals all of the body including the head.

"And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest, and to display of their adornment only that which is apparent, and to draw their veils over their bosoms..."(24:31) "…only that which is apparent" applies to women’s face and hands.

"... And when you ask of them (the wives of the Prophet) anything, ask it of them from behind a veil. . ." (33:53) Al-Qurtubi said in commentary of this verse: "The consensus of Muslims is that the genitals and backside constitute nakedness for men and women, as well as all of woman except her face and hands, but some disagreed about the latter two." This means the consensus of Muslims included them in the definition of her nakedness based on verse 33:59 and the hadith cited below.

Obligation of Hijab as Stated in Hadith

Among proofs for the veil in the Sunna are the following authentic hadiths (traditional reports) of the Prophet – (s):

"Ayesha (r) reported that Asma’ the daughter of Abu Bakr (r) came to the Messenger of Allah (s) while wearing thin clothing. He approached her and said: 'O Asma’! When a girl reaches the menstrual age, it is not proper that anything should remain exposed except this and this. He pointed to the face and hands." [Abu Dawud]

Ibn Qudama in al-Mughni (1:349) explained that showing the face and hands are a specific dispensation within the general meaning of the hadith "All of the woman’s body is considered her nakedness [to those outside the mahram relationship or her husband]." (al-mar'atu `awra)

`Ayesha (r) said: "I used to enter the room where the Messenger of Allah (s) and my father (Abu Bakr) were later buried in without having my garment on me, saying it is only my husband and my father. But when 'Umar ibn Al-Khattab (r) was later buried in (the same place), I did not enter the room except that I had my garment on being shy from 'Umar."

The Prophet's specification to Umm Salama that women should also cover their feet in prayer, narrated in the Sunan. This included the feet into the definition of her legal nakedness. "Women who are clothed but (at the same time) naked , turning their heads sideways this way and that like the humps of the camel, shall never enter Paradise nor even smell its fragrance."

The jurists have divided woman's nakedness into two categories:

• Lesser nakedness (`awra mukhaffafa): the face, hands, head, neck, forearms, feet, torso and back.
• Greater nakedness (`awra mughallaza): all of her body except the above parts.

`Ayesha’s (ra) strictness on the question is a well known saying, "When a woman reaches puberty she must cover whatever her mother and grandmother must cover." A woman's covering (al-khimar) is defined by `Ayesha as "nothing short of what covers both the hair and skin." (innama al-khimaru ma wara al-sha`r wa al-bashar).

Covering the Face

The khimar (pl. khumur) actually refers to the head covering, so that a better translation of 24:31 would be: "and to draw their headcovers (khumurihinna) over their bosoms..."(24:31)

It is essential to understand the two interpretations of the command to "draw their headcovers over" among the women of the Companions and the generation that immediately succeeded them, on which are based the two views of the Four Schools, namely, cover everything or expose only the face and hands:

Some women drew from the top down, some from the sides and over. The result for the first category was to cover the face, while the second category left the face uncovered according to one's own discretion.

Following are two hadiths that illustrate the use of thekhimar (face-veil) applied by women Companions of the verse quoted above.

Abu Hurayra gave the following account of his mother's conversion: I came to the Prophet - Allah bless and greet him -- weeping one day and said: "O Messenger of Allah, I have been inviting my mother to Islam and she has been refusing. Today I asked her again, and she said something about you which I hated to hear. Ask Allah to guide Abu Hurayra's mother!" Whereupon the Prophet -- Allah bless and greet him -- said: "O Allah! Guide Abu Hurayra's mother." Then I returned home cheered up by the Prophet's -- Allah bless and greet him -- supplication. When I arrived at the door of the house I found it closed. Hearing my footsteps, my mother said: "Abu Hurayra, do not come in yet." I could hear the sound of water. She washed herself and wore her robe (dir') and headcover (khim�r) then she opened the door and said: "Abu Hurayra! I bear witness that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah's servant and messenger!" I returned at once to the Prophet -- Allah bless and greet him --, weeping for joy, and said to him: "O Messenger of Allah, good news! Allah has answered your request and guided my mother!" He glorified and praised Allah, thanking Him and saying good things. I said: "O Messenger of Allah! Ask Allah that He make me and my mother beloved to his believing servants and that He make them beloved to us." The Prophet – Allah bless and greet him -- said: "O Allah! Make Your little servant (here meaning Abu Hurayra) and his mother beloved to Your believing servants, and make the believers beloved to the two of them." Not one believer is brought into existence who hears about me without seeing me except he loves me.

Ayesha said: "By Allah, I never saw any women better than the women of the Ansar (i.e. the women of Madina) or stronger in their confirmation of Allah's Book! When Sura al-Nur was revealed -- "and to draw their 'khumur' over their bosoms" (24:31) -- their men went back to them reciting to them what Allah had revealed to them, each man reciting it to his wife, daughter, sister, and relative. Not one woman among them remained except she got up on the spot, tore up her waist-wrap and covered herself from head-to-toe (i`jtajarat) with it. They prayed the very next dawn prayer covered from head to toe (mu`tajirat)."

And Allah knows best.

There is no field of human study whose language is in such a chaotic state as religion. We have discovered one common religious word that has 17 distinct meanings -- some of which are antonyms. We located another word with eight meanings -- all quite different. Another term has six meanings. Within each "wing" of Christianity, there is usually a general agreement on which definition to use in a given context. But each "wing" often uses a different definition. This causes dialog and debate to be almost impossible among Christians, and even more difficult between Christians and followers of other religions. 

Who is A "Fundamentalist."?

One of the most controversial religious terms in North America is "fundamentalist."

	Within academic circles, the term is generally used in a precise manner. For example, Author Karen Armstrong defines fundamentalist movements as "embattled forms of spirituality, which have emerged as a response to a perceived crisis" - namely the fear that modernity will erode or even eradicate their faith and morality. 1 That concern is shared by Fundamentalist Christians, Jews, and Muslims, Sikhs, and others.
	Within Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and other faiths, the media generally use the term to refer to the most conservative wing of the religion. For example, fundamentalist Christianity is often described as the most conservative wing of Evangelicalism.
	However, sometimes the term is used as a general-purpose "snarl" word which is intended to denigrate a religious group, implying that they are intolerant or prone to violence.

Fundamentalism in Christianity:

In Christianity, the term fundamentalism is normally used to refer to the conservative part of evangelical Christianity, which is itself the most conservative wing of Protestant Christianity. Fundamentalist Christians typically believe that the Bible is inspired by God and is inerrant. They reject modern analysis of the Bible as a historical document written by authors who were attempting to promote their own evolving spiritual beliefs. Rather, they view the bible as the Word of God, internally consistent, and free of error.
The term "Fundamentalist" derives from a 1909 publication "The Fundamentals: A testimony to the truth" which proposed five required Christian beliefs for those opposed to the Modernist movement.
Originally a technical theological term, it became commonly used after the "Scopes" trial in Tennessee during the mid 1920s. Dayton, Tennessee in 1925. John Scopes, a high school biology teacher was on trial for contravening the state's Butler Act. It forbade the teaching of "any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals." _4,5 Although Scopes was found guilty, many felt that he had won a moral victory.

By the late 1930's Christian fundamentalists had formed a sub-culture and had largely withdrawn from the rest of society. Following major revisions to Roman Catholic beliefs and practices during the Vatican II conferences in the 1960's, the term "fundamentalist" started to be used to refer to Catholics who rejected the changes, and wished to retain traditional beliefs and practices. Thus it became a commonly used word to describe the most conservative groups within Christianity: both Protestant and Catholic.

Back in the 1960's many theologians and historians expected that religions would become less conservative and generally weaker with time. That did not happen. Instead, the fundamentalist wings of major world religions, including Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, have grown and become increasingly dedicated to preserving religious tradition. Karen Armstrong has addressed Fundamentalism in Christianity, Islam and Judaism in her book: "The Battle for God." ₁
In the U.S., the Fundamentalist-led Moral Majority emerged to challenge social and religious beliefs and practices. Today, Fundamentalists are the most vocal group, on a per-capital basis -- who oppose abortion access, equal rights for homosexuals, same-sex marriage, protection  for homosexuals from hate crimes, physician assisted suicide, the use of embryonic stem cells for medical research, comprehensive sex-ed classes in public schools, etc.

The Assemblies of God is one Fundamentalist denomination. The Southern Baptist Convention has moved towards fundamentalism in recent years. Bob Jones University, the General Association of Regular Baptists, the Moody Bible Institute, etc.are also Fundamentalist. Among the most generally known Fundamentalist Christian leaders are Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and Hal Lindsey.

Fundamentalism in Islam:

The term Fundamentalist has been extensively misused by the media to refer to terrorists who happen to be Muslim, or who are anti-American Muslims. This is not accurate. Fundamentalist Islam is simply the conservative wing of Islam, just as fundamentalist Christianity is the conservative wing of Christianity. The vast majority of Muslmi fundamentalists are pious individuals who strictly follow the teachings of Mohammed, promote regular attendance at mosques, and promote the reading of the Qur'an. Many promote the concept of theocratic government, in which Sharia (Islamic law) becomes the law of the state. Most probably view the West as secular, ungodly, decadent and obsessed with sex.
Most Middle Eastern terrorists are probably fundamentalist Muslims, but they share little with their fellow fundamentalists. They represent an extremist, radical wing of fundamentalist Islam, which is composed of people who believe that the Islamic state must be imposed on the people from above, using violent action if necessary. This movement is fueled by social, religious, and economic stressors in many of the Muslim countries: lack of democracy; autocratic, unelected political leaders; millions of Palestinian refugees, extreme wealth for a minority, and often extreme poverty for most of the public; poor human rights records; high unemployment. Perhaps the greatest stressor of all is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which has lasted over five decades. It is fueling much of the anger, instability, unrest, distrust, hostility, and feelings of victimization in the region.  The U.S. is viewed as favoring and supporting Israel. They have given over three billion dollars a year in military and economic aid to Israel. The lack of a peace settlement, the continuing expansion of Jewish settlements in occupied lands, the status of the Dome of the Rock at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem -- the third most sacred spot in Islam -- and the status of the Muslim section of the city of Jerusalem are major flash points. ₆ Another stressor is the past presence of many American troops in Saudi-Arabia; this was seen by many radical Fundamentalist Muslims as a desecration of holy ground. The two most sacred places in Islam -- Mecca and Medina -- are located in that country. Although the U.S. has come to the assistance of oppressed Muslims as in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kuwait, anti-American feelings are running high because of the invasion on Iraq.
Michael Youssef is a Evangelical Christian who was born in Egypt. On the program Focus on the Family for Friday, 2001-SEP-14, he described the extremist radical terrorist wing as believing that the world is divided into two sections: The House of Islam and the House of War. The former is composed of all devout Muslims. The latter is composed of the other five billion humans on earth with which the extremist radicals are in a state of total war.

Here is how we might answer the question: 
"Islam is all about RIGHTS - Everyone has their rights in Islam, even children have rights"

"If a woman marries more than one husband at a time, how would the child get their rights of inheritence? What about their rights amongst other children from different fathers - but the same mother?"

"If a woman can choose from any man, even the ones who are married, but a man can only choose from the unmarried women - who has the most choices?"

But first, before talking about Islam, Muslims, Allah, Quran or even their question - here are a few steps we have found to be very effective in helping see the true picture of Islam - and in some cases - even become MUSLIMS THEMSELVES...

1. First, we begin by saying

“Thank you . . for taking the time to ask me and for  sharing your ideas and concerns. It makes us happy to receive mail from all around the world and to be able to communicate with so many Muslims and non-Muslims about my favorite subject: Misconceptions About Islam and the Muslims.

It is our pleasure to hear you are interested to know more about Islam and the many benefits Islam offers to all humans throughout all times. This is important to us and we are always thankful for a chance to share Islam with everyone. . “

Now, just take it slow and easy . . .

2. Say this:
First of all, let us do some basic research here:

If you have a Quran, turn to chapter four (4) and read it all the way through to help you better understand what Islam is really saying about humans in general and women in particular.

Now, ask them to reflect on what is being said . . .

Then think about the verses. Doesn’t it make sense to you, only God Knows all about what He has created? And also, doesn’t make sense only He would have the perfect answers for us in these matters?

Have you considered the condition of women at the time of the revelation of the Quran over 1,400 years ago?

The verse of the chapter in question talks about restricting the number of wives to be only 2, or 3, or maximum 4, and even then with more limitations.

All of this comes at a time when there were no restrictions or limitations on the number of wives or the treatment of women in general. You see, women were in very bad shape back then. All around the world women were suffering at the hands of men. For instance, did you know:

· Men would bury their new-born baby girls in the desert sands – alive? This was out of shame for having something so low, instead of a son.

· Women were treated with horrible disgust.

· Men had no limit on the number of wives they could have.

· There were no laws protecting women and they had no rights at all.

· Even the Church had convened a council meeting to determine if a women even had a soul.

· The Church blamed “Eve”, and damned her and all women after her for tempting Adam to eat the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. (Islam puts the blame on Adam for what he did and on Eve for what she did – and they repented and Allah forgave both of them)

· Women are blamed in the Old Testament of the Jews for the “original sin” and treated in disgust.

· A woman's monthly cycle was considered by the Bible to be a "curse from God" for her inequities.

· Her child bearing pains were also a 'punishment from God' for her bringing man down from heaven.

OK, now read the verse from Quran we have been discussing (4:3) very carefully about having more than one wife.

What does it say? And what do you understand from it?

Verse 19 forbids men from inheriting (or marrying) women against their will. Young girls and orphans no longer had to fear being taken as “wives” to satisfy the desires of some man.

Now, read verse 24 to learn how Islam forbid men to marry women that are already married.

Next, read from verse 34, the orders from God Almighty, concerning the role of men and the position of women in front of the Lord Above. The commandment in this verse orders men to take on the role of supporter, provider, protector and custodian to the women.

A woman has the difficult role of carrying the child and delivering it and then feeding it and raising it to become a true servant of Allah.

Obviously, men and women are not created the same. They of course, are equal in front of Almighty God, as regards their righteousness, good deeds and obedience. However, it is obvious men and women are not exactly the same as each other. Each one must fulfill their role as humans.

Now it is time to mention some of the basics of Islam - to help them grasp a better understanding of what Allah's deen is really all about . . .

As we said in the beginning - Islam is about rights. Allah Almighty has the Right to be worshipped alone without any partners as He is the One and only God there is. The prophets all have the right to be followed by the true believers. After Allah and His prophets, the one having the very most rights, according to Islam is the mother, and then the father. But children also have rights in Islam.

When a man dies his wealth is left to his family.

How could the court know who to give the wealth of a man, if he was one of several husbands to a woman?

How would a child know who his father was?

No society ever supported the concept of a woman being married to two or more men at the same time. Almost every society supported the concept of a man having more than one woman.

Islam came to set things straight.

Women were given rights.  Men were strictly ordered to treat their women with the very best of treatment.

First of all, the men had to divorce their wives, if they had more than four. So this was not an order to go out and get four wives.  It was an order to begin limitations.

And the first limitation was;  No more than four.

Second, consider the limitation of equal treatment for all of them. How could a man keep more than one wife unless he was exceedingly wealthy and/or exceedingly strong and virile?

Next, the limitation very clearly states; ".. but if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly (with them) then only one ..."

Step by step, the men of Islam have come to be known today as the most monogamous of all men on earth. (we only have one wife)

Now ask them to really investigate for themselves:

Check for yourself and see. In the majority of all the Muslim homes on earth, a man gets married once, to one woman and then he stays married to her until the death of either himself or his wife.

It is strange isn't it, a society like America, that condones having sex without marriage, homosexuality, same sex marriages, sex without responsibility, children without fathers and divorces are more common place than the measles or chicken pox, would be so concerned about the way the Quran speaks against these things.

Islam demands that a couple be married, and the man actually work instead of the woman and the woman owns her own property without giving anything for the support of the house or the child, a children have the right to their own mother raising them instead of a baby sitter or day care, father must support his children, divorce is hated, marriage is sanctified.