Suggested Answers to the First Short Quiz

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johnkarls
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Joined: Fri Jun 29, 2007 8:43 pm

Suggested Answers to the First Short Quiz

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Suggested Answers to the First Short Quiz


Question 1

Was our author, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, born in 1969 in Somalia?

Answer 1

Yes.

Question 2

Because her father was a prominent politician who was jailed by political opponents, was Hirsi Ali raised in 4 different Muslim cultures -- Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and Kenya?

Answer 2

Yes – though per http://www.cia.gov, Ethiopia and Kenya are NOT 100% Muslim though Hirsi Ali, presumably, lived in the Muslim communities of those countries.

Question 3

After genital mutilation, etc., did Hirsi Ali flee to Holland to escape an arranged marriage?

Answer 3

Yes.

Question 4

After university in Holland, was she one of the leaders of a new political party protesting Holland’s supposed “liberal” policy of permitting the free practice of religion in general, and Islam in particular -- especially with regard to its non-liberal treatment of women including HONOR KILLINGS ON DUTCH SOIL?

Answer 4

Absolutely!!!

Question 5

Although the new party swept to power, was its leader Pym Fortuyn assassinated two weeks before the election by Radical Muslims?

Answer 5

Unfortunately!!!

Question 6

Was famous Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh also assassinated by Radical Muslims because he had made a documentary film about Hirsi Ali and her political views?

Answer 6

Unfortunately!!!

Question 7

Did Theo van Gogh’s assassins stab to his chest a letter to Hirsi Ali that said in effect “you’re next”?

Answer 7

Absolutely!!!

Question 8

As a result, did Hirsi Ali flee in 2004 to the U.S. into the equivalent of the “witness protection program”?

Answer 8

Yes.

Question 9

However, did it soon become apparent that Hirsi Ali had joined the faculty of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government where for the last 13 years and counting, she has taught and published numerous books on Radical Islam?

Answer 9

Yes.

Question 10

Is the thesis of our focus book “Heretic: Why Islam Needs A Reformation Now” that the heart of Islam is World Conquest as the result of Violent Holy War?

Answer 10

Yes.

Question 11

Does she explain that World Conquest by Violent Holy War is required by the famous “Sword Verses” of the Quran?

Answer 11

Yes.

Question 12

Does she explain why Islam Apologists who claim that Islam is a religion of peace, are dead wrong?

Answer 12

Yes.

Question 13

In other words, that the Quranic “peace verses” cited by the Islam Apologists come from Muhammad’s Mecca period during which he and Islam were floundering, while the “Sword Verses” come from Muhammad’s later Medina period when Muhammad and Islam were flourishing as a result of military conquests, many of which Muhammad led personally?

Answer 13

Yes.

Question 14

And does Hirsi Ali explain that all 4 main schools of Islamic Jurisprudence and all 25 approved Islamic interpretations of the Quran agree in general that any statements in the Quran that are inconsistent with later Quranic statements ARE ABROGATED, and in particular, the “peace verses” cited by the Islam Apologists ARE ABROGATED by the “Sword Verses”?

Answer 14

Yes, Hirsi Ali explains that ALL 4 MAIN SCHOOLS OF ISLAMIC JURISPRUDENCE and ALL 25 APPROVED ISLAMIC INTERPRETATIONS OF THE QURAN agree that the “peace verses” cited by Islam Apologists ARE ABROGATED by the “Sword Verses.”

Question 15

Accordingly, does Hirsi Ali propose a “Reformation” of Islam while citing the “Reformation” of Roman Catholicism (as distinguished from Eastern Orthodox Christianity) prompted by Martin Luther’s so-called “95 Theses” in 1517?

Answer 15

Yes.

Question 16

Is Hirsi Ali’s proposal probably a forlorn hope not only because of an obvious misunderstanding of the nature of Martin Luther’s Reformation, but also because of the nature of Islam as she admits in our focus book?

Answer 16

Re Martin Luther’s Reformation, please read on Q&A-17 through Q&A-23.

Re whether a Reformation of Islam is possible, please read on Q&A-24 through Q&A-34.

However, Hirsi Ali admits in our focus book that a Reformation of Islam to eliminate the Quran’s core principle of World Domination by Violent Holy War is probably impossible because even mainstream Muslims believe that questioning the Quran is a heresy punishable by death.

Nevertheless, there are many Muslim scholars who are bravely advocating the renunciation of the Quran’s core principle of World Domination by Violent Holy War.

And it appears that Hirsi Ali has been inspired by their examples to advocate that Western liberals follow their lead in their Quixotic Quest.

Question 17

Although Martin Luther’s so-called “95 theses” suggests 95 quarrels with Roman Catholicism, don’t they actually comprise 95 paragraphs on a single subject for which the title of the “95 theses” was “Disputation on the Power of Indulgences”?

Answer 17

Yes.

Question 18

Weren’t “indulgences” de facto licenses to commit sins such as murder which the Vatican required its clerics to sell to their congregants in order to raise funds for various purposes and for which the Vatican assigned minimum quotas to be raised by each cleric?

Answer 18

Hard to believe, but true!!!

Question 19

Even if the Vatican’s claim is correct that all of the historical examples of indulgences being sold before the commission of crimes were NOT authorized by the Vatican, is this merely splitting hairs since everyone knew before the commission of her/his crimes what the price of the indulgence would be?

Answer 19

Yes, the Vatican’s claim, even if true, is merely splitting hairs.

Question 20

So what does the sale of indulgences have to do with Christianity???

Answer 20

What indeed!!!

Question 21

And who gave the Pope and the Vatican the power to forgive crimes whether or not before the fact???

Answer 21

Who indeed!!!

After all, Christ said that His sacrifice on the cross is sufficient!!! Nobody else’s forgiveness is needed!!!

Question 22

Didn’t Christ say that there were only two commandments “for inheriting eternal life” -- (1) loving God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind, and (2) loving your neighbor as yourself (immediately following which is the story of The Good Samaritan to drive home Christ’s point that every human being on earth is your “neighbor”!!!)???

Answer 22

Absolutely!!!

Question 23

So in jettisoning the Vatican’s sale-of-indulgences heresy, wasn’t Martin Luther’s “Reformation” really a “return to basics” of what Christ claimed Christianity to be???

Answer 23

Absolutely!!!

Question 24

So how can jettisoning Muhammad’s core principle of World Conquest by Holy War be viewed as a “Reformation” in the sense of “getting back to basics”???

Answer 24

What do you think??? Let’s discuss???

Question 25

Isn’t Hirsi Ali’s proposed “Reformation” of Islam really jettisoning one of its principal basics, rather than getting back to basics???

Answer 25

What do you think??? Let’s discuss???

Question 26

After all, doesn’t Hirsi Ali say that Mainstream Islam (not just the Radicals) believe that the Quran is God’s Word, that the Quran is God’s FINAL word, and that questioning the Quran is heresy which, of course, must be punished by death?

Answer 26

Yes.

Question 27

And doesn’t Hirsi Ali describe Mainstream Islam (not just the Radicals) as viewing life on earth as nothing but a fleeting opportunity to prepare for The Judgment Day and, hopefully, Eternity in Heaven?

Answer 27

Yes.

Question 28

And don’t the famous “Sword Verses” which all Islamic authorities agree are a principal feature of Islam (please see Questions 11-14) glorify Martyrdom in a violent Holy War for World Conquest as the best way to by-pass The Judgment Day and enter Heaven immediately?

Answer 28

Yes.

Question 29

BTW, does Hirsi Ali credit (p. 120) an Islamic University Professor and spokesman for Hamas in Gaza for the famous principle that not only do Islamic Martyrs by-pass a truly-fearsome Judgment Day but 70 close relatives of the Martyr do as well?

Answer 29

Yes.

Question 30

Is this famous principle the reason why we usually see in newscasts the relatives of Islamic Martyrs actually rejoicing rather than mourning?

Answer 30

What do you think??? Let’s discuss???

Question 31

BUT haven’t Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Osama bin Laden said exactly the same thing???

Answer 31

Re Osama bin Laden, please read on Q&A-32.

Re Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, he stated in a speech on 7/4/2002 at the Mausoleum of his predecessor, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini --

“Let me say to you: these stances [of American administrators on suicide bombings] will not be of any use. This quest for martyrdom is not based on emotions; it is based on belief in Islam and faith in [the] Judgment Day and faith in life after death. Anywhere Islam exists in its true sense, arrogance faces this threat.”

It's one thing for Islam Apologists to cite the ABROGATED “peace verses” of the Quran and try to belittle any Islamic leader who preaches the Quran’s “Sword Verses.”

It’s quite another thing for the Muslim Apologists to try to claim, in effect, that the Supreme Ayatollah of a country that per http://www.cia.gov has a population of 82 million and is 99.4% Muslim, doesn’t know what he is talking about.

Question 32

Indeed, didn’t the first of Osama’s five fatwas, this one entitled “Declaration of War Against the Americans Occupying the Land of the Two Holy Places” and issued in 1996 say (translation courtesy of the PBS Newshour) – “A martyr’s privileges are guaranteed by Allah: forgiveness with the first gush of his blood, he will be shown his seat in paradise, he will be decorated with the jewels of belief (Imaan), married off to the beautiful ones, protected from the test in the grave, assured security in the day of judgement, crowned with the crown of dignity, a ruby of which is better than this whole world (Duniah) and its entire content, wedded to seventy two of the pure Houries (beautiful ones of Paradise) and his intercession on the behalf of seventy of his relatives will be accepted.”???

Answer 32

Yes.

Question 33

So yes, Hirsi Ali says that Westerners should support the efforts of Islam Reformers and NOT the Islam Apologists, but to the outsider such as Yours Truly, aren’t the Islam Reformers really cutting out the heart of the patient?

Answer 33

What do you think??? Let’s discuss???

Question 34

And doesn’t Hirsi Ali herself describe the process with an analogy to a historic building for which, instead of destroying it and building something else in its place, its façade is preserved while all of its interior is gutted and replaced with the most-modern features?

Answer 34

Yes.

**********
BTW, it struck Yours Truly that when Ayaan Hirsi Ali was dividing Muslims into what she called “Mecca Muslims” who are the overwhelming majority of the world’s 1.7 billion Muslims, and “Medina Muslims” who are the radicals, she was being polite.

After all, she explains (as set forth several times above) that the Quran’s “peace verses” from Muhammad’s Mecca period ARE ABROGATED by the “Sword Verses” from Muhammad’s Medina period – PER ALL 4 MAIN SCHOOLS OF ISLAMIC JURISPRUDENCE and ALL 25 APPROVED ISLAMIC INTERPRETATIONS OF THE QURAN.

Yours Truly would submit that vis-à-vis the world’s 2.33 billion Christians (per http://www.cia.gov the total world population is 7.41 billion of which 31.4% are Christian), VIRTUALLY NONE actually practice the second of Christ’s TWO Commandments in order to “inherit eternal life” – to “love your neighbor as yourself” whereupon immediately follows the story of the Good Samaritan to drive home Christ’s point that every human being on earth is your neighbor.

Indeed, we have often discussed that actually “loving your neighbor as yourself” requires giving everything away until you are as poor as the poorest Bangladeshi!!!

Which is why so many religious orders require a Vow of Poverty!!!

The relevance to Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s polite division between “Mecca” and “Medina” Muslims???

Ayaan Hirsi Ali has demonstrated (and Osama bin Laden and Supreme Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have confirmed) that the core principle of Islam is World Domination by Violent Holy War, while Ayaan Hirsi Ali admits that only a very small percentage of Muslims (whom she politely calls “Medina Muslims”) actually follows this core principle of the Quran.

Isn’t this similar to the world’s 2.33 billion Christians, VIRTUALLY NONE OF WHOM actually “love their neighbors as themselves”???

At least when a nominal Christian suddenly decides “to love her/his neighbor as her/him-self,” s/he doesn’t become a violent Holy Warrior!!!

What do you think??? Let’s discuss!!!

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