First you claimed: 1. That the Jizyah tax was set at artificially high rates and it was designed this way in order to intentionally make the lives of Non-Muslims difficult, thus forcing them into Islam. And then you claim: 2. That the Jizyah tax was designed to enrich the State, and that the Caliph was forced to invade new lands to acquire more Dhimmi subjects, as the number of Dhimmis dwindled. So which is it? Is it Option 1 or Option 2? Is your hatred of Islam so great that you can't even see the contradiction between the two positions? Or do you just say anything that comes to your mind? You are not a serious person at all. This is a letter written by Abu Bakr, immediately following the Prophets death. This is addressed to the Non-Muslims: 'In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful. This is the written statement of God's slave Abu Bakr, the successor of Muhammad, the Prophet and Messenger of God. He affirms for you the rights of a protected neighbor, in yourselves, your lands, your religious community, your wealth, retainers, and servants, those of you who are present or abroad, your bishops and monks, and monasteries, and all that you own, be it great or small. You shall not be deprived of any of it, and shall have full control over it.' (Abu Yusuf, Kitab al-Kharaj, p. 79) The Prophet (peace be upon him) and the four caliphs said that taking the Jizyah should be done with gentleness and respect. (Al-Mughni, Volume 4, The Jizyah Tax is designed to bolster State resources as well as ensure that the rights of Non Muslims not be violated. Its a little hard for me to fully respond to you as I'm at work right now, but for you to dishonestly claim such things should serve as a warning to all Muslims reading my post, that these Non-Muslim critics are not to be trusted and will twist and turn every fact they see fit in order to bash Islam. Anyone who wants to learn more about this issue should visit this link, as it goes about the issue in COMPLETE detail. http://www.call-to-monotheism.com/the_status_of_non_muslims_in_the_islamic_state

http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Polemics/aishah.html Here is an article dealing with the issue of Aisha's marriage in detail. Either way, Islam has no connection to forced marriages and this practice needs to be stopped immediately. The result would be the same if the bride was 30 years old, and oppressing a woman by forcing her to marry a man she doesn't like and doesn't want to marry is completely against our religion.

I know it would be better to ignore him, but the problem is.....there are many Muslims who view this forum. Many of these Muslims know very little of these Missionary tactics and are vulnerable to these arguments against Islam. I'm well-experienced in dealing with these types of people, as I live close to 3 churches and I encounter Christians who attack Islam almost on a daily basis. I can see through their B.S. very easily, and I consider it an obligation to clear up the issues for my fellow Muslims. I've dealt with almost every single argument against Islam throughout the years, and every new argument is the same. That's why I have to respond to it and show that Islam is a noble religion and is undoubtedly the truth. Any Muslim who has any doubts or questions is free to message me and maybe I can help clear up any confusion insha Allah

Moderators I fully believe that this poster is either a missionary or someone who registered on this forum to attack Islam, and not here to discuss Somali issues. This isn't a Islamic Defence forum, and if you have any claims against our religion, then I suggest you register on a forum such as Islamic Awakening, Ummah.com, or Multaqa Ahl Hadeeth. They have far more knowledge than me and far more capable of addressing the issues.

The Jizyah Tax is designed to give the Non-Muslim citizens many of the same rights and obligations as their Muslim counterparts. Only a fool could argue otherwise and sincerely expect that Non-Muslims shouldn't have to pay any tax at all, when the Zakat is a tax which every Muslim is required to pay. Regarding your claim that it's a "punitive tax designed to make their lives difficult". Sahih Bukhari Volume 2, Book 23, Number 475: Narrated 'Amr bin Maimun Al-Audi: I recommend him to abide by the rules and regulations concerning the Dhimmis (protectees) of Allah and His Apostle, to fulfill their contracts completely and fight for them and not to tax (overburden) them beyond their capabilities." And also: 'The jizya was so light that it did not constitute a burden on them, especially when we observe that it exempted them from compulsory military service that was an obligation for their fellow citizens, the Muslims.' (Sir Thomas Arnold, Invitation to Islam, p. 77) Furthermore, the tax is designed to compensate the Muslim State for having the obligation of fulfilling their rights as well as giving them military protection, as well as humble them. It is a tributary tax and Non-Muslim women, children, monks, hermits, as well as the poor do not have to pay the Jizyah tax. The tax is not binding on property as well as agriculture, but only binding on actual income. Whereas the Zakat Tax is binding on property, agriculture, investments, as well as income. If the Muslims are required to pay this Zakat tax, and are required to participate in military service if the need arises, then it also makes sense that Non-Muslims be required to pay the Jizyah tax. Only an ignorant person or one who's animosity towards Islam is well-known would claim otherwise. Do not come on this website and claim this lie that the Jizyah is to be taken regardless of the financial position of the person, when this is an outright lie. Don't come without any actual evidence.

The Prophet (pbuh) said: “The virgin should not be given in marriage until her permission has been sought.” (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 6968) This backward cultural practice of forced marriage has no bearing on us, as Somalis. It has nothing to do with us, and posting this on a Somali forum is pointless. There may be a few Somalis here and there who engage in this practice of forced marriage, but this is outside our religion and culture. Unless you want to somehow link this to us, as some of these vile Atheists on this forum attempt to do all the time.

Actually, no. Zakat is very much a tax which is paid to the Islamic State and is administered by the Caliph himself. Who are you to intentionally distort these facts when it is well documented that after the Prophet (pbuh) died, Abu Bake took over as his successor and there were various Arab tribes in the Najd area who refused to pay their Zakat (although they still believed in Islam) and Abu Bakr organized a war against them for that reason (Sahih Muslim 0029) The same way how in the United States, people here who refuse to pay their income tax are imprisoned and in some instances have their properties seized. So Zakat is very much a tax, whilst "Sadaqah" is something optional which you can decide to give however much you want. Either way, Non-Muslims shouldn't be surprised that they would have to pay a tax in order to live in the Islamic State, and the Jizyah tax is normally very light (under 2% of your income) Do not come on this website, register, and then immediately decide to give arguments on subjects you know little about

Too many Somali men vie to become politicians without truly understanding how politics works, how to negotiate, how to govern a country, how to handle opponents, how to create institutions and how to build a strong foundation. There's no vision The fact that dozens of Somali men ran for Presidential office proves this. These men just like to wear flashy suits, wear expensive watches, fly on private jets and sleep in 5-star Hotels, but they don't know the first thing on how to truly run a country. They like the title of being "Minister" or "President" but they don't like the work it entails. We shouldn't be surprised at this

Why is this even news?

I'm pretty sure that many of these students end up working somewhere in Africa, such as finding jobs in Uganda, Tanzania or other countries. Some even make it to the Arab world and end up finding jobs there as well. Imagine how much potential we could have as a nation if we actually had a functioning government. We would be far better off and perhaps these students could find jobs in their homeland instead of searching for jobs somewhere else.

If 10 000 British Somali men chew Khat regularly, and as a result of this new law, 6 000 of them quit chewing this despicable drug (because of the high costs)....then we have only 4 000 Somali Khat addicts to worry about. That in itself is a victory. Society should do whatever's possible to limit the usage of the drug, and the best way to limit Khat-usage is to make it illegal (and thus make it super expensive, making it unaffordable to the average Somali man)

That's not a good enough argument. You seem to think that eliminating the drug is the objective here, when realistically it's not. Obviously it is impossible to completely remove drugs from the society, but prohibiting the drug itself would do a lot of good and bring a lot of benefits to the society. For example, stealing cars is illegal in all countries, but of course there are still some people who steal cars and commit other types of crimes. The objective of a law is to limit the occurrence of the action itself, not to eliminate it. Eliminating anything is impossible, especially when it comes to a country of millions of people. There will always be heroin-usage, bank robberies, rape and other such actions in society--but does this mean we should start legalizing all these activities? The Somalis here in the USA and in Canada chew Khat....but they don't chew Khat nearly as often as their British counterparts. Some British Somalis spend most of their free time chewing this disgusting drug, and the Government prohibiting it is the first step in limiting their intake of the drug. Khat costs over $100 a bundle here in North America (because it's illegal, and thus risky) but Khat is extremely cheap in Britain (because it's perfectly legal, and not risky). So that's why British Somalis are more likely to use Khat when comparing them to Canadian or American Somalis. Once Khat becomes illegal in Britain, the price of the drug will increase dramatically (due to a shortage of supply), and this will limit the amount of Somalis taking this drug. It's simple supply-and-demand. Once you cut off the supply, the price goes up and then the demand falls dramatically. Khat has ruined enough Somali families and we've seen what legalization has done to the British Somali community. Maybe it's time they try a different approach

Good! There's no need for such a harmful drug in the U.K. anyways! Serious shaqola'animo with these Somali men who spend HOURS of their day chewing that useless plant. This is how drugs can easily destroy a generation of men

warsamaale;967865 wrote: would you be happy if the government imposed a special tax on you as muslim that did not apply to christian americans. income tax waa loo wada siman yahay i know. just think about it ? What kind of irrational argument is this? You're arguing whether I should be happy if the government imposed a special tax on me because I'm a Muslim? Is that you determine whether the law is effective or just....just by whether someone is "happy" about the application of the law? If the American Congress decides to raise income taxes by 5%, sure I won't be happy about it....but is that how you determine whether a law is just? Stop with these Mickey Mouse arguments. They make no sense. Under Shariah, Muslims have to pay this special tax on their income called a "Zakat". Have you heard of Zakat? Do you know what it is? Are you actually insisting that Muslims are forced to pay a tax (which is what Zakat essentially is, it's a tax) but the Christians/Jews should be exempt from paying any taxes, despite the fact that they're citizens of the State and share in the rights of responsibilities of everyone else? How dare you call these double standards fair? I fully support the application of the Jizyah tax.

warsamaale;967848 wrote: Then why are you asking if its a trick question ?, where do you reside currently ? In the United States, a country where I've lived all my life and where I currently pay a substantial portion of my earnings in income tax.

The Muslims have done this to themselves, and we deserve whatever outcome comes as a result of this military coup. Sure the Americans might have funded this coup---fine. But it was the millions of Muslim Egyptians who protested Morsi and idiotically listened to the Western secularists by overthrowing him. Instead of getting behind their Leader and working together to solve Egypt's economic problems, they overthrow their Democratically elected Leader and instead opt for a military government. Nice job.

warsamaale;967744 wrote: do you agree with imposing Jizya tax on christians and others non-muslims ? Is this some sort of a trick question? Of course I agree with it

Naxar Nugaaleed;966825 wrote: The military should never have allowed the Islamic brotherhood to contest the election. Egyptions wanted democracy and they are smart enough to not let a bunch of Neanderthals hijack all their hard Wark. Islamic political party is an oxymoron, these people should stay in their mosques and leave governing to competent people trained in that field. As for all this bs about secularist, there is a simple difference between a secularist and those for theocracies: one will die so that you may exercise your rights and other will kill you for doing. It's thanks to secularism that all of you in the west can practice your believes in peace. If these "gaalo" thought like some of you, we would all be attending mass on Sunday. Caqlixumo. The people should stay in their mosques and leave competent people to govern? Are you implying that if a Muslim is practicing, and is religious, then this automatically entails that he isn't skilled in other fields as well? Since when is it unheard of where you find Men who are devout Muslims, but who are also successful Doctors, Businessmen and Engineers. In fact, I would argue that someone who is truly practicing Islam would make the best and most professional workers. Also, in Shariah, in Islamic Law which you so despise...there's this concept called No Compulsion in Religion. Do you know what that is Naxar? Have you heard of it? Because in Islamic "Theocracies", a Christian or a Jew can freely practice their religion and follow their own religious laws. And anyone who is remotely aware of Islamic History would know that. In fact, by this logic, I wouldn't mind if the United States became a Christian Theocracy, as long as I can freely practice Islam and not be harassed. To think that rejecting secularism would lead to loss of ability to practice your own religion, as if the two aren't mutually exclusive! Caqlixumo warya

Naxar Nugaaleed;966579 wrote: In the biggiest political protest, the beating heart of the Arab world has spoken: no to dictatorships, no to pseudo democratic theocracy. The choice should not be between dictatorship or the other kind of dictatorship, theocracy. What Egypt needs is not leaders busy issuing head scarf fatwas but job creation policies. You're speaking about a theocracy as if it's a bad thing! What kind of poisonous mentality is this? That's like saying "The Canadian Prime Minister Harper should not focus on enforcing the drug laws, or the highway speeding laws, and instead focus on growing the economy and growing jobs" Which is the most idiotic train of thought when you think about it. Being the Leader of a country encompasses all fields. So yes Naxar, it includes enforcing laws as well as making the right economic policy decisions. Only someone with an irrational Secularist mentality would think like this.

Mooge;962417 wrote: if erdogan is too conservative for my brother naxar nugaled, then this whole religion thing has become a joke. lol. erdogan is the most moderate muslim leader in this world. if he prays at home and his wife wears a scarf, how does that degrade and threaten Turkey's existance. secular fanatics are the ones who oppressed people and never allowed women to make their own choice of wearing the scarf. I remember in 2007, Erdogan attempted to lift the "hijab ban" in Turkey, and it resulted in THOUSANDS of protesters lining the streets of Istanbul protesting such a move! They actually want hijabs to be banned in Turkey..... Yet ironically women can wear hijabs freely in the USA/Canada, which aren't even Muslim countries. Turkey is still a secular country, but these secular extremists want to even limit the right of Muslim Turks to practice their own religion. And they claim they believe in "freedom and democracy". They complain that Erdogan's wife wears a hijab and that he is a practicing Muslim, as if his personal business concerns them. I can't think of a more cursed and corrupt group of people than these secularists

Erdogan is a real Leader and he's running Turkey FAR BETTER than any of his predecessors. But these liberal European-wannabe insecure protesters are upset with Erdogans rule because he is a little "too Islamist" for their liking, even though all evidences show that Erdogan is actually a secular Prime Minister, but he's called an "Islamist" simply because he's more conservative than the other Turkish Prime Ministers. These protesters shouldn't be taken seriously at all. Erdogan deserves huge praise for his many achievements in Turkey, including reforming the corrupt judicial system and cleaning up the regulatory system, which improved Turkeys economy BIG TIME

I think--especially in the West--Somali women have proven themselves to be far more competent and more accomplished than Somali men. We should stop limiting these women and should allow them to reach their full potential.

Reeyo;961043 wrote: Observable and empirically verifiable facts? What are we discussing here, a scientific experiment or Somali social attitudes towards women? My observation and personal experience is all I've got mate. I fought tooth and nail for my postgraduate education, my travel experiences and a lot of other rights in my personal life. I believe our mothers and elderly females need to recognize themselves as oppresses instead of being obsessed with maintaining the shallow image of the obedient Muslim girl that breed for to be pregnant and maintain a household. And what is with this fear of this word, equal? every man shakes in his boots when a Muslim female mentions the obvious, I am equal to you. I agree with you 100% Reeyo

Haatu;961026 wrote: What's the Islamic stance on such an issue first of all? Is what the boy said a crime Islamically or is this a scare tactic being used by the takfiris to frighten the population? Don't bother replying to him. I don't know who this man "warsamaale" is, but I see no point in discussing anything with him. After seeing that last post he made, he doesn't deserve to be taken seriously. He sounds just like Ann Coulter.....in other words: He's full of it. In his words: If a group of rebels decide to execute a teenage boy because of something he said, So then I'm gonna link these group of rebels to their religion (regardless of whether Islam permits such behavior or not), and then reach the conclusion that Islam orders such behavior, even though it doesn't. Yeah....Ignore him. He should be relegated to the sidelines of SOL.

Haatu;960954 wrote: Somali women are in this situation because of cultural practices that limit their rights (i.e. let the girls wash dishes) not Islam. You're just a one-trick-pony, shallow fellow who only knows hows to badmouth Islam. Have you no other hobbies in life? If you left the religion because you were so dissatisfied with it, why do you constantly talk about it? Because he is a coward who calls other people ugly, while hiding behind a mask! Haatu, I think it's obvious that Blackflash is a man who's comfortable in bashing Islam whenever he sees the opportunity, but he himself has never outlined any objective standard by which to judge Islam. If I were to show him evidences to prove how Islamic Values are superior to any of the Western Liberal values he probably upholds, he would ignore me and then repeat his old-arguments. It's actually tiresome to listen to him. How on Earth can I discuss anything with a man who's so arrogant that he chooses to ignore reality?