BorealABOUTAt Boreal we believe in democracy, freedom of speech and expression, equality before the law, equality of the sexes, life and the pursuit of happiness; all of which are threatened by a resurgence of religious fervour which is again providing the justification for unnecessary wars and unspeakable atrocities. Why does Boreal focus almost exclusively on Islam? It is not because Christianity, for example, Islam's archrival, is not worthy of more postings. Not at all! Our emphasis on Islam is because non-Muslims know next to nothing of consequence about this major religion which will change Canada and the world in ways that we are only beginning to appreciate. Aren't Islam and Christianity more or less the same? NO, but both, in our view, are in a conflict of interest when it comes to solving the major problems facing humanity from world hunger, poverty, over-population, AIDS, extinction of animal and plant life, climate change to violence against women... to simply getting along. A solution to these problems puts these religions in a conflict of interest, for it would make it more difficult for them to peddle their message that God loves misery, that a wretched existence increases one's chances of entering His Kingdom. For both religions, being poor and miserable while maintaining a blind unyielding faith in humanity's alleged invisible friend is almost a guarantee of eternal bliss after death. They would destroy the paradise we have, or could have here, on a suspicious promise of a better place in the sky. So, at Boreal, there is no god? We did not say that. Who knows! We are not keen on any religious icon, dead or alive, though we did find ourselves rediscovering a fondness for a carpenter's son after reading Thomas Cahill’s Desire of the Everlasting Hills, The World Before and After Christ. Jesus' simple philosophy about getting along: “Do unto others as you would have them do on to you” just about does it for us. If you admit to liking Jesus, why don't you like his religion? Unlike Muhammad, Jesus did not create any religion, others did that. If you don't believe in religion at Boreal, how do you set your moral compass? Mencius, a disciple of Confucius, observed more than 400 years before Christ that “human intuition is inherently good and should serve as a guide to action and choice.” This we believe. We don’t need religion, and we suspect neither do you, to tell you what is good and what is evil; to tell you the difference between right and wrong. If religion does serve a purpose, it is to warn us that evil comes in many disguises, often in the form of preachers and would-be saviours who pretend to know the nature of our existence, where we came from and what is our final destination, if any. A Matter of SurvivalIf we survive the End Time apocalypse the believers yearn to see engulf the world so that a promise made in scriptures of a replacement Paradise in the Hereafter for those who hasten the destruction of the one we have here, or could have, is fulfilled, we may still call ourselves Christians, Jews and Muslims as a reminder of the criminally naive people we once were. Christian: someone who once believed in the Gospels. Jew: someone who once believed in the Torah. Muslim: someone who once believed in the Koran. A Dialogue on the KoranThe world desperately needs an honest discussion about Islam, starting with an unfettered dialogue on the Koran, if we are to stop the violence done in the name of Allah and His proclaimed last and greatest spokesperson, the Prophet Muhammad. If we don't, then God help us all. This is not a new idea. The first Muslim in space was Sultan bin Salman Al Saud of Saudi Arabia. But, it was not until the first Malaysian, Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, was scheduled to blast into space aboard a Russian rocket in October 2007, on his way to the International Space Station, that serious questions as to how Muslims spending time in space were going to perform mandatory religious rituals, such as the five daily prayers, were answered. One hundred and fifty Islamic scholars, scientists, and astronauts were brought together and arrived at a consensus as to what was practical and desirable under the circumstances. The Malaysian Ulema (scholars of the Faith, e.g., Islamic scholars) dared to look at the Koran in a new light, the light from a sun that rises and sets every 90 minutes. That was a good start, but it's not enough. We have to have as profund a discussion as as the one initiated by courageous Islamic philosophers of a bygone age. Between the 8th and 10th century, when Islam was in its infancy, there emerged an Islamic school of thought largely influence by Plato and Aristotle and which became known as Mu’tazilism or Philosophy of Rationalism or simply Islamic Philosophy. The motives of the translators [of Greek works in science and philosophy into Arabic] and their patrons, the ['Abbasid] caliphs, may have been partially practical; medical skill was in demand, and control over natural forces could bring power and success. There was also, however, a wide intellectual curiosity, such as is expressed in the words of al-Kindi (c. 801-66), the thinker with whom the history of Islamic philosophy virtually begins: We should not be ashamed to acknowledge truth from whatever source it comes to us, even if it is brought to us by former generations and foreign people. For him who seeks the truth there is nothing of higher value than truth itself. A History of the Arab People, Albert Hourani, Harvard University Press 1991, p. 76 Mu'tazilites argued that verses of the Koran should not be taken literally and that human reason was more reliable than scriptures. The leaders of the believers of the time, the most noteworthy being Caliphs al-Ma'mun, Mu'tasim Billah and Wathiq actively supported this sensible open-minded interpretation, allowing it to thrive, until dogma reasserted itself with a vengeance and revelation again smothered reason. It is not a coincidence that much of Islam’s substantial contribution in the field of astronomy and mathematics for example, was from this period when Mu’tazilism was accepted by the Caliphate as a legitimate Islamic school of thought. How could it have been otherwise. If a dialogue is to foster trust, non-believers must have a meaningful role which will only be possible if more of them actually get to know what is in the relatively short book. Reading my books would be a good start. Translations of the Koran are usually called interpretations because of the claim that only the Arabic version of the Book can accurately convey the true meaning of Allah’s words. If you can’t read the Koran in the original, say the imams, you are bound to misinterpret God’s words. [This is] a Book with Verses which are elaborately formulated and clearly expounded from the Wise, the All-Aware. Allah Allah is not bragging, and any good translation will render Him justice. You seldom here a Christian minister say that unless you read the Bible in the original Hebrew, Greek or Latin you will misunderstand the message. Yet, this is the argument that is made by clerics to discourage non-Muslims from reading a translation of the Koran whose message they expect children to grasp Bernard Payeur
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