Originally posted by juba: so one reason you think Democracy and Islam are uncomptaible and contradictory is because one includes Secularism? No, you got it wrong. It's not one includes Secularism; it's one is divine, the other is human.

Democracy isn't compatible with Muslims; it's a human product.

Originally posted by juba: are you among those 10 million? I could be.

Originally posted by juba: ^ like what? Like during the Islamic battles and/or futuhat when a leader (an example) had to severely punish or kill his son because the son commited a grievous crime or sin. Originally posted by Xafsa: What?!!! So was the father in this post justified in killing his daughter? Could be, it depends on one's perspective. There are over 1 billion Muslims, and there are at least 10 million Muslims (comparable to Somalia's population, also among Somalis) who would agree with what the father of this article did.

Originally posted by Xafsa: What would make a parent kill their own child?!!! For a myriad of reasons, one (at least) which could be perfectly valid. I am not talking about selfdefense. The Islamic history is full of examples where a parent killed his/her child (whether young or grownup) for valid reasons. As in every thing, there are exceptions, there's not "a parent can't kill his/her child for whatever reason." There's always a (at least) justifiable reason.

Originally posted by BOB: ...why did we choose to abandon our beautiful faith of Islam? Because of lack of Islamic leadership.

I wouldn't recommend a Beta software. A Beta software is an unstable software meant to be tested. It's meant to break your system in exchange for you to report bugs.

Originally posted by wind.talker: What we supposed to do with Arabic links? We're supposed to learn Arabic, because it's the language of the Qur'an and the Day of Judgement.

Originally posted by macalimuu: Somalis in the Diaspora who are at an advantage and somewhat well positioned and equipped to forge revolutionary change in Somalia... I highly doubt that. Change in Somalia will come at the hands of those who're in the playing field; not those in the Diaspora, who're struggling to meet the ends. The Somalis in the Diaspora aren't even spectators in the playing field of Somalia. There's little or nothing they can do. And the fact they live in the West, the fact some obtained a degree in a field will not factor into the ability to forge a revolutionary change in Somalia. Only those who live in Somalia and interact with its daily events can forge revolutionary change in Somalia.

Originally posted by mobg: I was hoping we would conquer socotra Island from them. I have not come across written documentations stating Soqotra was part of Somalia. As far as the people who now live in Soqotra, they're a mixture of Yemenis and Africans who could have come from anywhere in East Africa (Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia). Gallery

Originally posted by SmithNwestern: 250,000 fellow Somali’s who have found shelter here. There aren't 250,000 Somalis in the UK. The number doesn't even reach 100,000. Last time I heard about such a number, it was hovering around 60,000.

First, a little history: In the days when Africa was controlled by European colonists, there were three contiguous Somalias: French Somalia now known as Djibouti; British Somalia now known as Somaliland (but only by the Somalilanders); and Italian Somalia, now known as Somalia. A further little history: In the days when Africa wasn't controlled by European colonists, there weren't three contiguous Somalias: Only a vast land stretching through Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya, which was inhabited by Somalis.

Originally posted by Shyhem: do u see any arab or muslim country for matter comig to stabilize somalia.Oh please don't say they came with USA in 93 or do muslims go anywhere only when America goes? Indeed, at least Pakistan, a Muslim country, came with USA in 93. Originally posted by Shyhem: What happened to the notion, "we all brothers and sisters" or "we are first muslims and than somalis"? What happened is lack or absence of Islamic leadership. Without Islamic leadership, no meaningful Islamic actions can be implemented. Originally posted by Shyhem: There are less than 10000 armed militias in somalia... That's not a realistic figure. Maybe yours is a typo. Originally posted by Shyhem: All the so called muslim nations can do was contribute 500 well armed soldeirs each,backed by heavy ground and air power and boom somalia and the rest of the muslim world would have benefited. Do you think they would have succeeded where the US, the sole superpower, has failed? Originally posted by Shyhem: Is that a hard thing to ask from people who claim to be compasionate or better than christians and everyone else? Maybe not. Originally posted by Shyhem: why should muslim bother about somalia,they are not somalis right? Other Muslims care about Somalia, it's just the care isn't reported or they don't like it to be advertised. But, sometimes you hear or read about it, like the sufferings of poor and orphaned Somalis kids because the US cut and banned Islamic aids. Originally posted by Shyhem: The irony is americans are not muslims and they have no obligation whatsoever to help muslims,why should americans help folks they don't share the same faith and values with? Well, they help because they got ulterior motives. Don't you know nothing comes free?

For all we know, the woman could have a genetic defect. In that case, it's not the hairdresser's fault that she got allergic to the treatment.

Originally posted by Shyhem: Both have failled us miserably... Elaborate.

Originally posted by Classique: But if its a matter of another muslim who is spoiling the image of islam... For whom is the image of islam being spoiled? For the West? Well, Islam isn't a commercial product, or someone famous whose image could be spoiled. Islam isn't a human product. Islam is above the realm of its image being spoiled. All efforts to spoil its image have failed, and will fail. Islam is about appeasing Allah, not the West.

Originally posted by dawoco: Do you think that some of our men wouldn't do the same thing if they had the money for it? I for one, am very likely to do it. And why not? I would rather do it the halal way than sin.

Originally posted by HOBK: one i use to go out stated he loves me but i recently found out his heart was set on other gal,his friend has feelings for me. and the third guy was introduced to me by my friend and the fourth i got 2 know him on the internet. If you're a Muslima (which you're likely), what you're doing is against the teachings of Islam. The concept of having a boyfriend or girlfriend doesn't exist in Islam. It's against the values and morals of Islam. Following the values and morals of Islam will make you a smart, intelligent individual and a better human being. What you need to do is, study in depth your religion, do what you're required to do and stay away from muharamat.

He could be right that there are al-Qaeda basis in Somalia, but wrong to claim al-Qaeda is exploiting lawless areas in the Horn of Africa region to hide, recruit and train members and possibly plan attacks. Al-Qaeda could be present anywhere for any reason. Al-Qaeda's presence doesn't depend on lawlessness. Where other lawless areas beyond Somalia (even some areas of Somalia is stable) did al-Qaeda operate? Furthermore, al-Qaeda doesn't need basis for training or whatever; it has adapted and has other means. The question is, what can the US commander do about his claims? Practically nothing, except talk or fire some heavy bombs from a safe distance and kill innocents. The US is bogged down in a struggle against a global Islamic insurgency. It's bound to be ultimately defeated. If you think I am wrong, check with recent books (like Imperial Hubris) and analyses by senior US intelligence officials and analysts. And finally, those fanciful terms applied against al-Qaeda and its activities will gradually change to reflect its proper and correct nature. "First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Next they fight you. Finally you win."

Originally posted by sayfulaah-almasluul: prime mister Erdogan of turkey and abdulahi badawi of malaysia have named leading sucessful modern muslim leader I agree with the statement about Badawi, but Erdogan is far from a sucessful modern muslim leader, and the reason is he has the approval of the West. There's a big difference between Turkey and Malaysia. One example is Turkish Muslim women can only wear hijab at very limited sites. However, Turkey had a strong credible Muslim leader before Erdogan; Erbakan. He was sacked by the Turkish military, because the West didn't approve of him and was even called fundamentalist.

Originally posted by Viking: He mentionned Lahore, it's in Pakistan. This is not a scientific paper which you can rebuke/rebut his words. The man is simply speaking his mind and sharing his experiences, telling us that we have lost the essence. The "Muslim world" Michael A. Malik has visited isn't confined to a few urban centers and some Muslims who were influenced by the Western culture and lifestyle. Obviously, Michael A. Malik knows (maybe not) people who live in urban centers differ from those who live in rural centers, but nevertheless he bases his impressions on some bad apples he met. Michael A. Malik's message is there's no need to become a Muslim, as being a non-Muslim is better. I guess you're right this is not a scientific paper, it's simply about a man sharing his experiences, although the article appears on a site that touts a source of information for non-Muslims seeking a knowledge and understanding of Islam. One can imagine what kind of message would send his article to those interested in Islam. What particularly troubles me is he as a Muslim prefers non-Muslims to Muslims. It's a different matter to say you prefer some of the positive actions of non-Muslims to negative actions by Muslims. I had a German friend in Italy who converted to Islam in Aswan, Egypt. He was greatly impressed by the piousness, humbleness and generosity of the Aswanis, and had plans to settle down there for good.

"What is moderate Islam anyway?" The kind of Islam the West envisions Muslims should adopt. In short, the Islam that has the blessings of the West.

First, I am not a geek, but can offer a few tips. If your Dell laptop can power up but can't load Windows, it's salvagable. Most laptops come today with sufficient memory (at least 256 MB). But, even if it comes with less memory, you can add extra memory for a few tens bucks. Also, laptops today come with enough space (at least 30 gb) and a cdrw/DVD. These are the basic components that come with a laptop. But, an integrated wireless network card is optional, which you don't need because you can add one (external) for under $20. A mobile processor differs from a desktop processor; it's advantage is it cools down the laptop, while the later it heats up. Most laptops today come with a desktop processor, like Celeron, Pentium 4, Athlon-XP and etc. Centrino is a mobile processor. VIA C3 processor although a desktop processor, is extremely cool. These are the holiday seasons, if you look for a bargain laptop with the specifics you want, you will get one for under $800. If you wait a few months, laptops will get cheaper by at least $200.

Originally posted by sayfulaah-almasluul: It is the time for the so-called muslim leader must act and act now to comdem the act of terrors Which Muslim leaders? The Erdogans, Mubaraks, Yudhoyonos, Gadhafis, Abdullahi Yusufs and etc? What do you think their condemnations will achieve? At the very least, their condemnations didn't thwart the invasion of Iraq by crusaders. As Alle-ubaahne suggested, you should criticize the causal effects of what's happening in Iraq, not its side effects.

"Why should I try to convert my non-Muslim friends when I often prefer them to the Muslims that I know? How will being Muslim change their lives for the better if they already display more of the Islamic virtues than most of the Muslims they are likely to meet?" First, Michael A. Malik doesn't state which countries (and what urban/rural centers) he has visited; for that reason there's not much to rebut. I don't know about him, but I have trouble with a Muslim preferring non-Muslims to Muslims. He doesn't even distinguish between Muslims and their actions; there's a difference between the two. Many years ago, I asked a blind Azhari teacher about his general impression about Somalia. He told me everywhere one goes to has the good and the bad stuffs and companions; it's up to the individual to associate with what/whom he/she chooses. Though a few of his points are valid, Michael A. Malik gives a bleak picture about the state of Muslims in general, while depicting non-Muslims as angelic. I have dealt with both Muslims and non-Muslims; there are the good and the bad among them, but I would never prefer a non-Muslim to a Muslim. Most Muslims I have dealt with and interacted are good people, overall better than non-Muslims. It's true there are problems in the Islamic world, the main one being lack of Islamic leadership which is chiefly attributed to the current (liberal) Muslim leaders. P.S. You forgot to include the source of your link. The site's About talks about an Internet home for theologically motivated Western converts to Islam and a source of information for non-Muslims seeking a knowledge and understanding of Islam. Michael A. Malik's article is hardly a knowledge and understanding of Islam. I have checked some reviews about the site; it espouses a moderate view of Islam.