July 25th (London) Sikhs & Hindus invited to

[sikhphilosophy]

Fateh Ji

Here is the response to Muslim Propaganda from Sikh Scholar Gurmukh Singh.

This is a most regrettable, irresponsible, provocative

and bigoted nonsense from Al-Muhajiroun, UK.

Ludicrous statements like the following do much damage

to Islam.

> The Seal of Messengers, Prophet Mohammad (saw)

> said that at the lowest level of Paradise each

> person will have up to 10,000 servants!

The author's challenge is:

> So, the message to any Sikh and Hindu is do your

> research and ask yourself "are you Sikh or Hindu

> because you really want to be or is it because

> your parents are". Remember, on the Day of

> Judgment, no religion will be accepted from

> Allah except Islam. Come to Trafalgar Square on

> the 25th July 2004 and give up your false beliefs

> and accept the perfect and embrace Deen of

> Al-Islam.

Let us do some research into this "Deen of Al-Islam"

The research says:

PLEASE DO GIVE YOUR REAL SCHOLARS AT LEAST A FIGHTING

CHANCE TO SAVE YOUR FAITH IN THE 21ST CENTURY! WE ARE

EVEN PREPARED TO ACCEPT THE MOST LIBERAL

INTERPRETATION OF YOUR RELIGIOUS METAPHOR AND

ALLEGORY! NOW READ ON:

Let us start "In the Name of the Allah, the Merciful,

the Compassionate" :

Is this the religion being compared with Sikhism?

(GGS= Guru Granth Sahib HQ = Holy Quran SM=Sahih

Muslim by Abdul Hamid Sadiqi Lahore SB= Sahih Bukhari

Sharif Ishait-al-Islam Delhi)

Is

this "Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate"??

Slavery is permitted in Islam (HQ 4:3). Bilal was

Prophet Muhammad's slave and the Prophet's cousin

Zubair (son of Abu Bakar) had 1000 slaves. A Muslim,

who emancipates a Muslim slave, Allah saves every limb

of his from fire for every limb of the slave, even his

private parts for him" (SM 3604 SB 693V.3 B.46)).

Islam does not condemn slavery.

Slavery is not condoned in Sikhism in any form

whatsoever. Indeed the Guru proclaimed in no uncertain

terms:

"The Gracious Lord has now decreed, "None shall

oppress or inflict pain on another. All shall abide in

peace as the regime shall be compassionate."

(GGS p.74)

Islamic treatment of women and view about sex etc: A

woman's testimony (Shahadah) has half the weight of a

man's (HQ 2: 282, 4:177). When inheritance is to be

shared "A male is equal to the portion of two

females."(SM 3933 HQ4: 177) A man can divorce his wife

by simply saying "Talaaq, talaaq, talaaq" three times

(HQ 2:229-230,SM 3491-93).

Adultery and pornication are punishable in Islam but

not if committed with women captured in war (SM 3234).

A Muslim can also beat his wife (SM, Trimidhi and HQ

4:34). If a slave girl commits adultery she should be

lashed. If she does it thrice then she should be sold

even for a hair rope.(SB 362,435,731 V.3 B.46) Talaaq

literally means, "undoing the knot". A man cannot

marry the same woman twice until she has married

another man and divorced him (Ihya 2:230). "The

proportion of rights and powers between male and

female, as laid down by Islam, naturally demand that

out of the two parties only the former should be

entitled to pronounce divorce" (Maulana Moududi quoted

in CIS page 110)

"Islam allows the conversion of female slaves into

concubines with whom relations

are legitimate

without the necessity of marriage. Once they have been

allotted to

their masters they become their property"

(Maulana Moududi quoted in CIS page 112 Also see HQ

4-3) (SM 3432-34)". The Prophet's wife Safia (wife of

Kinana) was a captive at the battle of Khaibar. So

were Rihana and Juwariya (SM 4292 Also see Sirat Rasul

Allah pages 493 and 517)

"And all married women (are forbidden unto you) save

those (captives) whom your right hand possesses. It is

a decree of Allah for you" (HQ 4:24)

"Force not your slave girls to whoredom that ye may

seek enjoyment of the life of the world, if they would

preserve their chastity. And if one forces them, then

Allah, after their compulsion, is All-forgiving,

All-compassionate " HQ 24:33.

"Islam allows the conversion of female slaves into

concubines with whom relations

are legitimate

without the necessity of marriage. Once they have been

allotted to their masters they become their property"

(Maulana Moududi quoted in CIS page 112 Also see HQ

4-3) (SM 3432-34)"

"And all married women (are forbidden unto you) save

those (captives) whom your right hand possesses. It is

a decree of Allah for you" (HQ 4:24)

Islam defines different rights and responsibilities of

men and women.

"Men are in charge of women because Allah hath made

the one to excel the other and because they spend

their property (for the support of women)"(HQ4: 34).

Polygamy is permissible and allows up to four women

(HQ 4:3). The Quran instructs "you will not be able to

deal equally between (your) wives however much ye wish

to do so but turn not altogether away (from one)

leaving her as in suspense." (HQ 4: 129). A woman is

entitled to a dowry (mehar) and a lawful maintenance

(nafqah) but the domination of a husband is paramount,

"Your women are like a tilth for you (to cultivate),

go unto your tilth as ye will"(HQ 2:223 SM 3363). "Had

it not been for Eve, women would never have acted

unfaithfully towards

their husbands."(SM 3471)

However, "Thy women have rights similar to those (of

men) over them in kindness, and men are a degree above

them"(HQ 2: 228). "As for those from whom ye fear

rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds

apart, and scourge them. Then if they obey you, seek

not a way against them."(HQ 4:34-35). "Serving a

husband is obligatory since her husband is named her

master in Allah's Book and she is a captive with him

as is shown in the Sunnah of Allah's

Messenger"(Adaab-uz-Zufaaf by Muhammad Nasir-ud-din

page 47). " As for those of your women who are guilty

of lewdness, call to witness four of you against them.

And if they testify (to the truth of the allegation),

then confine them to the houses until death take them

or (until) Allah appoint for them a way (through the

new legislation)"(HQ 4:15) Accoring to Islam " Never

will succeed such a nation as makes a woman their

ruler" (SB 219 V.9 B.88). "No lady should travel on a

journey of two days except with her husband or a

Dhi-Mahram"(SB 215 V3 B31)

Islamic dress for women

There are no restrictions on what men wear. Burqa or

Hijab is a contraption used by the Muslim women to

keep their bodies covered except for the eyes (HQ

33:59, 24:31). Sharia requires women to dress up with

clothes meeting the following criteria

(Adaab-uz-Zufaaf page30).

1. The whole body must be covered except for the oval

of the face and the two hands.

2. The material of the cloth must not be decorative.

3. The material must be thick enough to be opaque.

4. The dress must be loose enough as not to make clear

the shape of the

body.

5. A woman must never wear perfume in public.

6. The dress must not resemble the dress worn by men.

7. The dress must not resemble that worn by

disbelieving women.

8. The dress must not be ostentatious.

Sikhism treats women as equal to men and forbids

adultery or beating of women in any situation. "Lik

e

the companionship of a poisonous snake is the desire

of another's woman"(GGS P.403). Ill treatment of women

captured in war is strictly forbidden. This is what we

read about Sardar Sham Singh Attariwala, "It was

disorder, anarchy and confusion in Punjab, they moved

from Malwa to Majha. Just before settling at Attari

and the process of establishing their control they

came across a helpless Muhammadan bride of the nearby

Amir of Sarai Salamat Khan. The manner in which they

returned her to the Amir became a legend and people

still give example of their noble and moral character"

(Ranjit Singh's Khalsa Raj and Attariwala Sardars,'

National Book Depot Delhi 1944 Edition page 14.)

Sikhism preaches complementary roles of men and women

in all social spheres. However, women are not debarred

from any activities carried out by men; nor are they

restricted to any special dress. Indeed, although

there is a traditional Panjabi dress for women

(salwar, kameez and a light material head cloth), they

may dress exactly like men and go to battle if need

be. Some famous Sikh women have in fact led armies to

battle.

Islamic intolerance: "One who chooses to follow the

code revealed by God becomes a Muslim and one who

refuses to follow it becomes a Kafir."(The Religion of

Islam by Khurshid Ahmed page 4). "Believers are God's

party but un-believers are Devil's party"(HQ4: 76).

"Allah (Himself) is an enemy to the disbelievers" (HQ

2:15, 90,98). "Accursed, they will be seized wherever

found and slain with a (fierce) slaughter (HQ 33:61).

The tribes of Uraina and Ukl had their hands and legs

cut off, their eyes gouged out and no water was given

to them. They died a slow and painful death. (SB 577)

Sikhism: The nearest word to kafir in Sikhism is

sakat. In Gurbani it is used for those who do not

believe in the existence of God. Unlike Islam, Sikhism

does not order killing of such persons but does ad

vise

to avoid their company. "Shun the company of sakat,

keep him at an arm's length"(GGS p. 1371). Whatever

the extent of enmity, Sikhism does not sanction cruel

treatment. Guru Gobind Singh blessed Bhai Kanhaya when

the latter offered water and assistance to the fallen

enemy in the battlefield. The Guru also instructed him

to treat the wounds of the enemies.

"The True Guru has no anger or vengeance and preaches

the same. He looks upon son and enemy alike. He helps

in removing faults and mistakes and thus purifies the

human body"(GGS 960)

Superstition:

Prophet Muhammad preferred always to travel only on a

Thursday, which is considered auspicious. (SB 199

V.4.B.52) "The year is of twelve months out of which

four months (Dhul Qa'da, Dhul Hijja, Muharrum and

Rajab) are sacred."(SB 419 V4 B54)

In Sikhism no day or month is considered more

auspicious than the others are.

"The same moon rises, the same stars, the same sun

shines in the sky, the earth remains the same and the

same wind blows. How can it be then that some times

are sacred and the others not?" (GGS P.902)

Sacrifice or cruelty to animals? :

All adult Muslims are supposed to sacrifice an animal

on Id-al-Adha (SM 4818-4835) because "There is a

reward annexed to every hair of the animal sacrifice"

(Trimidhi V.1-1392). "On the day of judgement the

horns, hair and hoofs of the sacrificed animal fall in

the pan of pious deeds and thus cancel out the

misdeeds of the devotees"(Mishkwat –al- Masabih Book 4

.Chapter 49-2)

According to Sikhism animal sacrifice has no spiritual

merit and is strictly forbidden.

"The use of force is tyranny even if you call it

halal. When your account is called for in the court of

the Lord, what will your predicament be then?"

(GGS Page 1374)

Sikhism believes in sacrifice for a noble cause or for

the good of humanity when necessary. Guru Gobind

Singh, at Chamkau

r, dressed and sent his own two sons

to the battle in a spirit of sacrifice for the right

cause.

Service with humility (sewa), sharing one's food and

earnings with the needy, treading the righteous path

regardless of cost, and inner detachment while living

a full life, is the Guru's way of sacrifice. Sikhism

preaches that a real sacrifice is to lay down one's

own life for a noble cause.

Religious war: Islamic view:

Jihad is defined by H.G. Koenigsberger as "Spreading

Islam by war."

"The various means employed by an Islamic state to

spread Islam are called jihad, if they involve strife

and struggle. The more popular form of jihad is holy

war"(CIS p.54)

"Fight against such of those who have been given the

Scripture as believe not in Allah nor the Last Day,

and forbid not that which Allah hath forbidden by His

Messenger, and follow not the religion of truth, until

they pay the tribute readily, being brought low." (HQ

9:29)

Regarding the spoils of war the Holy Quran says, "Now

enjoy ye what you have won, as lawful and good" (HQ

8:69,48:15). "If a town disobeys Allah and the

Messenger one fifth of the booty seized therefrom is

for Allah and His Apostle and the rest is for you"

said Muhammad (SM 4346)

Sikhism is opposed to spreading religion through war.

The nearest concept to Jihad is dharam yudh (fight for

justice or the righteous cause). Use of force for

propagating religion or for changing another's

ideology or point of view runs contrary to Sikh belief

and practice. The divinely inspired compositions of

Muslim and Hindu saints have been included in Sri Guru

Granth Sahib and given the same status as the hymns of

the Sikh Gurus.

Sikhism, therefore, demonstrably preaches that no

single ideology has the monopoly of access to God or

the Ultimate Truth. The Sikh Guru went further when

Guru Tegh Bahadhur (Nanak IX) gave his life to uphold

another's right o

f worship in his own way. Sikh Gurus

were fully aware of the need for the use of arms for

defending freedom of religious ideology and the

geo-political implications which were bound to flow

from it. The concept of Khalsa Raj and the just

theo-political aspirations of the Sikhs have brought

(and continue to bring) the Sikh nation into armed

conflict with authoritarian regimes. In certain

circumstances, when all other means have failed,

resort to arms is considered legitimate. Guru Tegh

Bahadur's injunction is:

"Frighten none and accept fear from no-one." (GGS p.

1427)

Guru Nanak's followers could not shirk their

responsibility towards other fellow beings nor could

they accept fear from anyone. Guru Nanak spoke out

against social, political and administrative injustice

and he expected his followers to do the same. The Sikh

Gurus and the bhagats (saints), whose compositions are

recorded in the Holy Granth, were well aware of the

need for resorting to arms for defending human rights

and the freedom of religious ideologies.

"The true warrior is one who fights in defence of the

downtrodden."

(GGS p. 1105)

"When all attempts to obtain justice fail, it is

legitimate to move the hand to the hilt of the sword."

(Guru Gobind Singh's Zafarnama to Moghul Emperor

Aurangzeb).

[Guest rsingh]

what can we do?

1) call: Ken Livingstone Mayor of London 020 7983 4100

I have been told that Ken does not support this event and he will close the event down if they get enough Calls. SO CALL NOW!!!!!!!!!!! please.

2)Turn Up and do not let it happen under any circumstances,  the event is between 1pm and 6pm

3) fax your mp and tell him/her to call the mayor of london on your behalf voicing your concerns http://www.faxyourmp.com/

sikh media need to take an active role and raise awareness, as well as contacting relevent individuals to bann this event. (this email has been sent to desi radio, akash radio, amritbani radio)

via mail list i recived.

i dont get y they selected out radio stations, but any way.

this being important

3) fax your mp and tell him/her to call the mayor of london on your behalf voicing your concerns http://www.faxyourmp.com/

also other links

Just to confirm that this is no hoax...here are links to sevral webistes promoting this.

http://www.islamic-paths.org/events/detail...nChannel=Events

<

a href='http://forums.gawaher.com/index.ppa?showtopic=15232&' target='_blank'>http://forums.gawaher.com/index.ppa?showtopic=15232&

http://www.jihadunspun.com/index-side_inte...list=/home.ppa&

http://www.trustislam.com/studiobb/index.p...t=0entry45846

put in "rally for islam 2004" in google search

[Guest Jahan]

I am a member of a large e-group. I believe most of the members of it are located in Birmingham. Below is the 2nd the letter i have forwarded to them. The pressure on our Gurdwara committees is just as important as pressure on the authorities.

This is a good opportunity for integration and organization of every Gurdwara committee across the UK. All Mosques are united and are in regular contact with eachother, why arent we?

Something for everyone to think about.

__________________________________________________________

Waheguru Jee Ka Khalsa

Waheguru Jee Kee Fateh

Dear friends, i am told the rally "for truth" organised by the Al-Muhajiroun will be discussed on Panjab Radio tonight at 8:00pm.

As you may know, this Muslim group does not have permission from the authorities to hold any kind of event in Trafalgar Square on the 25th of July. Another event has been booked on that location on the 25th but the Al-Muhajiroun are likely to go ahead with their rally anyway.

It is not just an attack on Sikhism and other religions but really it is an open challenge to the government of the United Kingdom. Al-Muhajiroun has been banned in the past for trying to organize a rally in the city yet they ignore all warnings and go ahead with their plans anyway. A slap in the face to the authority and will of the government of this country.

I am based in North London and have found out that the organizers of this rally are also based in North London, not too far from where i live. There is a significant fundamentalist Muslim presence in this part of London, it is hidden, but it is there. Such fanatical clerics as Abu Hamza have lectured in v

arious Mosques in North London, particularly the 'notorious' Finsbury Park Mosque (claimed to have links with Al-Qaeda) and apparently also a Mosque in Tottenham, maybe even more... There are dozens of Mosques here within arms reach of eachother and they are well informed on all matters relating to the Muslim community at large. More Mosques are planned to be built and renovated/expanded here too. Most notably a new Mosque is in the works in Palmers Green and there are plans to demolish and rebuild Edmonton's main Mosque (adding a dome etc). Edmonton currently has two Mosques.

At around 10:30 pm Thursday night i took a trip to the Mosque in Turnpike Lane (Beautiful building built and funded by Saudi Arabia) to find out whether the rally was a hoax or not and to see what i could be told about the 'Sikhs' who are going to 'convert' in public. The Mosque was not empty, far from it, even at that time. The member of the committee i spoke to was very 'politically correct' with me and said his Mosque does not deal with Al-Muhajiroun. He had however, heard about the proposed rally and so had an ordinary Muslim who was waiting around the office. Obviously before the press-release was made public on July 13th many members of the Muslim community were already well aware of the rally.

My intention to 'spread the word' of this is not to cause any friction or physical confrontation between the Sikh and Muslim communities but i believe that every Sikh in UK must be made of aware of the plans to publicly assault and humiliate the faith right in the heart of London.

It is not a call for violence but we must put up a solid and united front. We cannot ignore or back down from such a blatant and open attack as this. It is our duty to defend the faith by countering all false claims and propaganda made against it. False claims made with the sole intention to ridicule and undermine the authority of Sikhism and weaken the Sikh community to such an extent that our people

will be left with a dishonest and negative imprint of their religion and will want to wash their hands of their heritage.

Converting to another faith through inspiration is the right of every individual. Converting to another faith through deceit, brainwashing, lies, pressure, or by threats is unacceptable by any standards and must be answered. Public assault and humiliation against another race, culture, religion (whether verbal or psychical) is equally unacceptable and cannot be tolerated.

Therefore, after a somewhat unsuccessful attempt to convince the Gurdwara Singh Sahba committee in Southall (West London) to use their resources to share the press release with every single Gurdwara across the UK and in turn to have every Gurdwara inform their Sangats of this rally, i am again requesting to you all to please pass on the press release to your Gurdwaras and get them to make as much contact with other Sikhs in UK as they can.

Ignoring the problem will backfire on us all. Problems need to be settled as soon as they arise.

Let us see how united Sikhs in the UK are.

My apologies for such a long letter,

Jiyo,

********

[>Bikramjit Singh<]

Waheguroo Jee Ka Khalsa!

Waheguroo Jee Kee Fateh!!

Just wanted to express my appreciation for all the members who are taking the time to spread awareness of this issue as well as making representations to the relevant authorities. To be totally honest when i first came across this thread I thought that we would just go through a few motions of outrage but then revert back to our usual lethargic stage. This issue has snowballed into a major movement and into something that will surprise the fanatics who will realise that they have bitten off more than they can chew with they decided to take on the sikhs.

I hope that this proactive attitude will translate into positive action for all the other issues that confront Sikhi today.

GurFateh

Bikramjit Singh

[Guest rsingh]

I would like us to arrange a international Ardaas day on

wednesday 21st July at 12.00pm GMT UK time (lunchtime) and

Saturday 24th July at 12.00pm GMT (UK) (Lunchtime).

Please let everyone know.

as we know the power of Ardass in great, let us all unite and do ardass.

and gurmukh singh is on Panjab radio

[Guest mehtab]

RIGHT ITS 8:23 PM GMT

TUNE INTO PANJAB RADIO

http://www.panjabradio.co.uk

DISCUSSION ON THE LONDON RALLY

TUNE IN RIGHT NOW !!!!!

[Guest rsingh]

well i recorded most of it,

Ive e-mailed 2 jewish orgs info@bod.org.uk and and info@chiefrabbi.org

its from 12 not 1 please make sure people know. and lets try and do the ardass.

[Nama Singh]

Amrit Bani Radio done a discussion on this rally issue... log into http://www.sikhifm.net/AUDIO/2004/sikhifm_...amicrally04.mp3 to listen into the discussion............ post ure thoughts in this topic only. Please do not start new ones on the rally.

[NiddooooSingh]

Dont you think someone should go up as if they want to convert then at the last minute, expose certain truths of islam?...such as Muhammed having a 6 yr old wife.........that would shut them up and give the public more knowledge about the religion so keen to recruit new converts.

[Guest rsingh]

I uploaded the Panjabradio discussion

Panjab radio recording