Post your comments please.....thanks " (Tennesean.com) Minister calls Islam evil threat from pulpit By ANITA WADHWANI Staff Writer A Madison-area pastor has begun a four-part series of sermons on the ''evils of Islam'' and says his church's eventual goal is to convert Nashville-area Muslims to Christianity. Maury Davis, pastor of Cornerstone Church, began the first sermon in the series Sunday, titled ''Hard Questions — Real Answers. Islam … The Evil Religion.'' ''I want to go on record as telling you that I believe the greatest threat to the American way of life, to the Constitution of the United States of America and to the gospel of Jesus Christ, is the religion of Islam as it stands today,'' Davis said from his pulpit on Sunday to an audience of about 2,000. ''It is a great task that you and I have to infiltrate the Muslim community, but we can do it with the help of God.'' Some members of the Islamic community, alerted to the sermon, listened to a tape of it last night. ''We do not agree with the message,'' said Dr. Awadh Binhazim, spokesman for the Islamic Center of Nashville. ''It preaches hate. He is trying to convey Islam as a religion of hate and violence, but the facts he is using are wrong.'' Other Christian ministers condemned the sermons as messages of intolerance that could lead to violence and pledged to stand by members of the Islamic community. ''If you're going to sow hate, if you're going to sow ill-will, then you're going to motivate some folks to do some things they shouldn't do,'' said the Rev. Bill Sherman, pastor of First Baptist Fairview and member of an interfaith coalition of religious leaders. ''Violence is a possibility. Now don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying his sermons are going to end up like that, but it's a concern.'' Davis said that the events of Sept. 11 and beyond pushed him to educate himself about Islam. ''The more I studied, the more alarmed I became,'' Davis said. He said he did not read the Koran but relied on those who had written about the religion. Davis said he expected criticisms of his sermons, but he asked his congregation on Sunday to listen to all four sermons together before judging them. He said he does not condone violence against Muslims but believes that ''political correctness'' has prevented many in the clergy from speaking out against Islam. Those opposing Davis' messages said he has just gotten it wrong and said that efforts to promote inclusiveness and diversity in Nashville won't be affected. ''Members of Nashville's Muslim refugees in particular who are here did not flee Islam, they fled political extremists who misused Islam as a disguise for their violent agenda,'' said Carter Moody, chairman of the Nashville Task Force on Immigrants and Refugees. ''The mainstream Nashville community has made a lot of progress in building bridges across cultures and across faiths and will continue to do so.'' Davis said his sermons were also prompted by the increasing visibility of Islam in mainstream America, which has sometimes resulted in evangelical faiths like his being eclipsed. For example, at a Sept. 23 Yankee Stadium interfaith event in New York, Muslim clerics and liberal Christian pastors spoke. But, said Davis: ''There were no truly evangelical fundamentalist preachers on that platform. It was highly noticed by evangelical Christians throughout the nation. In our desire to make sure there is not a backlash against Muslims, it seems like we are exalting their faith. The problem is that I believe that faith caused people to fly planes into buildings.'' Cornerstone is an Assembly of God church, a Pentecostal denomination that claims 38 million adherents worldwide. Davis' sermons are not part of any overall doctrinal statement, said Gene Jackson, superintendent for the Tennessee District Council of Assemblies of God. ''It sounds like an attempt to stir up a crowd,'' Jackson said. ''Sermons certainly don't have to be approved. Each church is sovereign.'' Davis has been pastor at the church since 1991, when it had only about 200 members, 10% as large as the current congregation. Members credit Davis with the church's transformation, saying his honesty about his checkered past — serving an eight-year prison term on a 1975 murder conviction — has helped draw many new members. Davis' message on Islam is already reaching beyond his congregation. On Friday he announced his sermon series on AM radio, Newstalk 1510 WLAC, which broadcasts across Middle Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama. The four sermons will be broadcast on the Inspiration Network, a national cable Christian television show that reaches 15 million viewers, according to its Web site. " [This message has been edited by Oblivion (edited 01-18-2002).]

Daaaaamn ! Caydiid man, you're so gross and rude thats judging on how you express your thoughts.You sound mo' like Yemeni or Somali Adani who lost his head & guess you've lost your innocence years ago so it's about time you repent and come back to the right path.

I agree with UNIXGURU...it's repulsive and odd to see somali girls with afro americans be he a muslim or not let alone a white guy.I never liked those italians back home!Sisters stick with your somali hommies.

How about Jawahir, Yasmin, Hafsa, Maryam, Haawo.Let us know which one you choose.

DONT QUIT ! Please dont give up, 17 is NOT too old for 10th grade and dont lie about who you're and what you do.Hard times are the experiences that will highlight and enrich your life, so they're blessing of sorts, depending on how you analyze them.And more than anything else you need to have some faith in Allah.Thank Allah for being healthy and for achieving what you have so far. Good luck.

Gax gax gax...L O L

Is she beautiful? yes, very cute...:)but not a Somali though, I guess she's bi-racial.

When the weak and corrupt rule, there's harsh suffering all over the place.Before Kat was tossed to young kids for their loyalty to kill and now young girls are subjected to satisfy Libyan sexual needs.TNG is not that innocent & I'm not surprised.

Here's a primer in Somali history for you (Yusufaddie). http://www.civicwebs.com/cwvlib/africa/somalia/1995/reunification/e_reunification.htm#TOC After reading this you'll understand why we're so distrustful of foreigners. Happy new year y'all!

Guru, we're all prone to mis-typings 'n there's no big deal if else becomes esle once in a while...Get it.

Yusufaddie Take it easy man, I was just giving you the benefit of the doubt.But then frankly we're all suspicious and you're flat wrong giving the analogy of SHIRK which wont change our minds.Man is essentially a sinner, a mortal being who can as well be a hypocrite and Allah subhanahu wata'alah has given us the "will" to choose from right and wrong.This will and our reasoning is per se what separates us from the rest of animal kingdom; we can tell whos's trustworthy and who's not.Do you call that a disease?Perhaps your conscience is troubling you. So save your breath and take your Khalifah crap esle where, say Saudi Arabia for example I'm sure they'll appreciate it.That's the focal point to start from if you want to revive the Ummah.

Yusuf! I cant help but ask how on earth do you allow yourself to call the holy Prophet(SAW) a "liar" twice in your messages no matter the context. Softly speaking, I have a strong feeling that you're a fake with no respect for Islam.

Somalia is already an Islamic state.As for your project try Kismayo, eventhough your point isnt very clearly understood.In case you're doing this only & only for the sake of Allah, it's a Noble thing!And we wish you all the best. But if you make any sectarian preconditions,I bet it's almost impossible to blackmail a NOMAD in the long run!

American Faith is a matter of personal conviction.In Islam there's a room for everyone as along as you dont rape general public's attention. You see, my friend you'll be surprised to discover that american ideals are compatible with Islamic teachings in many many ways.America without Hollywood/Feds is more Islamic than many Muslim states.Very compassionate nation. In the middle east America doesnt practice what it preaches,except in Israel.It supports repressive regimes in exchange for cheap oil. As for the Ben Ladins of this world, they're bunch of psychos with no purpose in life.They defame Islam. Peace

With all its faults and short comings, I still love Somalia.Its problem is complex and tragic, a very sad case indeed.Too much choas: killing, looting continue to date.Majority of the people are malnutritioned and cant avoid a decent meal.Foreigners dub it "a failed state"!You all know how bad it feels not to pass an exam.The irony here is that we have a situation of me against my brother.I dont know how Almighty God can have mercy on a nation that is self-destructive, eating itself from within.The warlords are insensible like the microbes on the corpse of a nation. They thrive on murder and chaos. If I had my way, I’d slay ’em all on a beautiful day since they don’t deserve to walk on the face of the earth. Now talking about the "educated" Somalis, we have many of them,at least to provide us with leadership.However, there is a difference between formal education and enlightenment!You see,in the TNG we have lot of rookie politicians calling themselves MPs who dont even know the ABCs of political science or macroeconomics.While the top persons in the TNG, Somaliland, and Puntland are from the old school.They are used to an enviroment were money changes hands to get support.These politicians will never take us anywhere. Those of us who are spared all the misery thats at home should not be misled by these devils in disguise.These days, you'll find a Somali, almost in every capital of the world.The least you can do for your country is to get educated, it is a duty!!Everything else is minor. Peace! -------------------------------------------- An exile from home splendour dazzles in vain Oh, give me my lowly thatched cottage again! Home! Home! Sweet, sweet home! There's no place like home!!

With all its faults and short comings, I still love Somalia.Its problem is complex and tragic, a very sad case indeed.Too much choas: killing, looting continue to date.Majority of the people are malnutritioned and cant avoid a decent meal.Foreigners dub it "a failed state"!You all know how bad it feels not to pass an exam.The irony here is that we have a situation of me against my brother.I dont know how Almighty God can have mercy on a nation that is self-destructive, eating itself from within.The warlords are insensible like the microbes on the corpse of a nation. They thrive on murder and chaos. If I had my way, I’d slay ’em all on a beautiful day since they don’t deserve to walk on the face of the earth. Now talking about the "educated" Somalis, we have many of them,at least to provide us with leadership.However, there is a difference between formal education and enlightenment!You see,in the TNG we have lot of rookie politicians calling themselves MPs who dont even know the ABCs of political science or macroeconomics.While the top persons in the TNG, Somaliland, and Puntland are from the old school.They are used to an enviroment were money changes hands to get support.These politicians will never take us anywhere. Those of us who are spared all the misery thats at home should not be misled by these devils in disguise.These days, you'll find a Somali, almost in every capital of the world.The least you can do for your country is to get educated, it is a duty!!Everything else is minor. Peace! -------------------------------------------- An exile from home splendour dazzles in vain Oh, give me my lowly thatched cottage again! Home! Home! Sweet, sweet home! There's no place like home!!

"Lama huraan waa dhulkaaga Hooyo!" I'm very optimistic that sometime soon, the new intellectual elite will be born from all those hundreds of thousands of Somalis that fled the civil-war in Somalia.Our country is young, and unfortunately we dont have much of history except war.We were always short of cool heads at the time of need.All the great nations have gone through painful changes and bloody revolutions, see France, Russia, the civil-war in America. The by-product of the Somali civil-war will be new educated, energetic and patriotic generaion to replace the old guard like Egal, Abdilahi Yusuf and AbdiKasim.These people are power-hungry mob, who divided us into "Hutus" and "Tutsis".What alarms me is the way these people are still sowing seeds of hatred eventhough their days are numbered.They talk about holocaust in Baidoba, and Hargeisa to agitate our deep wounds. Somalis are proud by nature and we take that wherever we go.Honor means everything to most of us.However many of us feel humiliated abroad.We cant live the "way" we want.We cant bring up our children the Islamic way.Many of them are already assimilated by Hollywood and the filty culture it propagates, while others are imitating "thugs".In some places climate is unbearable.Somalia is virgin country, it's like the America of old:The land of dreams and opportunity.If you have great ideas; it's the best place to be.All these factors compel us to GO home the moment things normalize back there.Count on it!

"Lama huraan waa dhulkaaga Hooyo!" I'm very optimistic that sometime soon, the new intellectual elite will be born from all those hundreds of thousands of Somalis that fled the civil-war in Somalia.Our country is young, and unfortunately we dont have much of history except war.We were always short of cool heads at the time of need.All the great nations have gone through painful changes and bloody revolutions, see France, Russia, the civil-war in America. The by-product of the Somali civil-war will be new educated, energetic and patriotic generaion to replace the old guard like Egal, Abdilahi Yusuf and AbdiKasim.These people are power-hungry mob, who divided us into "Hutus" and "Tutsis".What alarms me is the way these people are still sowing seeds of hatred eventhough their days are numbered.They talk about holocaust in Baidoba, and Hargeisa to agitate our deep wounds. Somalis are proud by nature and we take that wherever we go.Honor means everything to most of us.However many of us feel humiliated abroad.We cant live the "way" we want.We cant bring up our children the Islamic way.Many of them are already assimilated by Hollywood and the filty culture it propagates, while others are imitating "thugs".In some places climate is unbearable.Somalia is virgin country, it's like the America of old:The land of dreams and opportunity.If you have great ideas; it's the best place to be.All these factors compel us to GO home the moment things normalize back there.Count on it!

Not to have sex before marriage!!Well this must be shocking for many Somalis abroad, does this mean that we're slowly and gradually losing our religion. Most of us know quite well that it's "illegal" to have sex outside/before marriage but I'm afraid we take it for granted.We have the notion that we can get away with it.One has have very clear cut moral boundaries to avoid such evil.The way our somali mothers bringup their children also plays a very important role.After September 11, many western countries require that the immigrant communities intergrate with host communities which means many Somali kids will go astray.Hope I'm wrong!