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Peace:

This verse is often translated as 'between the backbone and the ribs'. However, it is clear that the root of al sulbi and al taraibi means 'something firm' and 'dust'.

Now, when the verse talks about how we are made and talks of the gushing forth from something that is hard, doesn't that make you think of only one thing?

Do I need to spell it out?

As for the latter word, I've yet to figure that out.

Roshan

deleted

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92hyhBXLaWE&feature=related

Peace:

5:90 has been discussed many time here before, but specifically, I wanted to ask the aforementioned question.

Is it 'HIM' because the 'hu' pronoun is 3rd person masculine singular object pronoun which agrees with Shaitan:

http://corpus.quran.com/wordbyword.jsp?chapter=5&verse=90

Roshan

Peace:

I have come to the conclusion that the Islamic Ramadan involves a handful of fasts around the summer solstice. I appreciate there are many people who may disagree with this.

However given the first sentence, I was wondering if anyone had any knowledge of any pre-Islamic (or even post-Islamic [although the history may have been white-washed]) historical evidences of celebrations around the summer solstice.

Roshan

Peace:

There may be some issues with this project, but as an initial program, I think it is a good way to start getting our right to anonymity on the internet.


https://www.torproject.org/


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tor_%28anonymity_network%29

I am irritated by all these attempts to remove one's right to be anonymous.

Roshan

Peace:

Any further details concerning this word in 2:228 - re: 3 _______?

It would be good to cross reference this word.

Roshan

Peace:

I am exploring ramadan timings. Now, one thing that comes up is whether Shahr means month or full moon. Now, certainly shahr does have a meaning in the lexicons of 'something prominent'/moon.

However, the Quran's usage surely points to it being 'month'.

Look at this verse:

9:36
  The number of months in the sight of Allah is twelve (in a year)- so ordained by Him the day He created the heavens and the earth; of them four are sacred: that is the straight usage. So wrong not yourselves therein, and fight the Pagans all together as they fight you all together. But know that Allah is with those who restrain themselves.

Sometimes there can be 13 full moons in a year - so how can the circle of an , essentially, solar calendar be squared with the shahr meaning full moon (in the summer solstice) and 9:36

Roshan

p.s. obviously this post is sort of directed at those going for the summer solstice timing

Peace:

I wanted to share this article with everyone:

http://solari.com/articles/Options_for_Storing_Precious_Metals/

Roshan

Peace:

Anyone know of any good charities?

I was particularly impressed with Kiva (which, if you always reinvest your money in other projects as well as financing new ones could be used as a charity), until I read Wakas' post :

http://free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=16063.0 (reply

Is there anything like Kiva that does not charge interest? Something that does not just give handouts, but treats people as equals?

Roshan

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2007/05/the-kingdom-in-the-closet/5774/1/

Peace:

What do you thinks of the above article?

In it, essentially, the author argues that 'homosexuality' (used by me for wont of a better term) is very common in 'Saudi' Arabia and that it's Wahaabi culture makes it very easy for men (lots known about) and women (not much known about).

Now, clearly, some of the article is very much the typical western 'look at those Arabs, they violate their religion ha ha ha' (even though they would not treat such behaviours with much shock in their own countries) slant. However, personally, I would be surprised if there was not much homosexuality that goes on there, simply because the society there closets people into a corner where such behaviours are likely to express themselves in the form of these deviant behaviours. So, what could turn from an adolescent 'crush' on an older boy, in the absence of women, could turn into something unhealthy (and vice versa). 

The alleged ideas on what some consider to be 'homosexual' is also interesting too as well as culturally ingrained pederasty.

Of course, the problem is quantification, although by it's nature this will always be difficult.

Any views?

Roshan

Peace,

Just found this on youtube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uf-6OJg7krM&feature=related

Aisha Musa is a Harvard graduate and a professor of religion in Florida. She has been an advocate of Islam, actively rejecting Islam, for many years. She has a book which one can find on amazon.com.

Roshan

Peace:

I just wanted to clarify something for my own knowledge. There are those who believe fasting is in the summertime in the northern hemisphere. This is based on a meaning of ramadan as 'heat'.

However, there are also those who believe that fasting is during the winter. Is this not based on:

1) An assumption that laylat al Qadr is the longest night of the calendar (not mentioned in the Quran) and is thus the winter solstice?

I don't want to offend, but I need to cut through the issue at hand.

Roshan

Peace:

The verses of the Quran are clear that running blood (i.e. blood in the arteries) is forbidden for us to eat. It is also clear that the sectarian method of slaughter is not mentioned in the Quran.

HOWEVER, how does one reduce the running blood in the animal? Presumably slaughter through cutting the carotid artery (carries blood from the heart to the brain) is a good way to do this.

How does stunning (the dominant method of animal slaughter in Europe) allow for this?

Roshan

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2010/0305/1224265630546.html


This is a follow up to the idiotic court case against Wilders. Guess what, his popularity is now better than ever before and his party is making the breakthrough that it had not done before.

Well done to all involved in the campaign. It couldn't have happened without you.