With the Koran being flushed lately

And the minister in NC that had a sign that promoted it, CAIR (http://www.cair-net.org/) is asking for donations so they can gie away free Korans to Americans so they can see for themselves what Islam is about.

http://www.cair-net.org/explorethequran/

I already ordered one and will donate once I get a job. I think it'd be a good idea to read it since we are fighting fundie Muslims. And a free book is always good. We can understand the fundie Muslims a little better and understand our more reality based Muslims far more in helping them get better treatment. And maybe we can help repair our national image.

that some lunkheaded group will order a whole bunch of free copies for the flushing.

It's a great idea, though, and far less intrusive than efforts to air drop a zillion bibles to peasants deep in China.

http://pages.prodigy.net/jmiller.cb/a830.html

http://www.geocities.com/realitywithbite/beheading.htm

http://www.newwave.net/~haught/Koran.html

Islam unfortunately has not resolved the "Interpretation" problem.. and will a Reformation resolve this for Islam .. and if it does will it resolve it for the west..?? This historical document unfortunately leaves a back-door from hell ajar in western minds.. at least the ones who are aware of it..

should an unabridged version be passed out to us..??

Has references to killing people who work on sabbath, kids who disobey their parents, adulterers, gays, and anyone that thinks for themselves. Should the Bible be flushed, disrespected, and revised?

When you have somebody saying that large sections are outdated and worthy of being ignored, essentially he's said that he's highlighted that text in MS-Word and selected the "strikethrough" font option.

That's what most of Christianity has done.

The other thing Christianity has done is to stop taking themselves so seriously. That never had textual support in the canon, but in "Xian fatwas." They were similarly struck-through.

There are several different translations, and there are marked differences. Most US libraries have Qur'ans donated by the Saudis, and their translations talk of the superiority of Islam to Chrisitianity and Judasim, whereas "The Meaning of the Glorious Qur'an", a translation by a Sufi, talks of honoring all the people of the book.

If anyone wishes to compare passages between their translation and mine, I'll be glad to type up the verses requested.

I have been told by an Imam (Islamic scholar) that the entire Qur'an can be summed up in the first sura, called the Fatiha. I'll give a rough translation here, as I feel it is a good place to start when finding commonality between the three Abrahamic religions:

In the Name of God, Most Merciful and Compassionate,

All praise be to God, Cherisher and Sustainer of the whole universe,

Most Beneficent, most Merciful!

Master of the Day of Judgement

Thee alone do we worship, and to Thee alone do we ask for help.

Guide us on the straight path,

The path of those you have so blessed,

Not those who anger, or who have gone astray.

The first Sura, the Opening, is the spirit of the Quran.

There is only one version of the Quran, but many of the english translations are sadly wanting. Many early translations were done by Christian missionaries and the ones officaly sanctioned by the Saudi royal family is a "Tafsir", a Quran and commentary combined, with inserted inferance between brackets,and comments based upon the scholars interpitation. Therefore consider any thing between (and) in such a light. Any translation will be a Tafsir, but each will be translated in a way that the translator best felt the message should be convayed in english.

Here is a short article: http://islam.about.com/library/weekly/aa011601a.htm

Two good modern versions I might suggest are:

Al-Qur'an : Guidance for Mankind
Recently published translation of Texas-based Muslim-American community activist Muhammad Farooq-e-Azam Malik.

The Qur'an : A New Translation
Thomas Cleary holds a Ph.D. in East Asian languages and civilizations from Harvard University. He is the translator of many works including The Art of War, Awakening to the Tao, The Book of Five Rings, and The Wisdom of the Prophet: The Sayings of Muhammad.

These are available online at various bookstores. They cost about 13 to 15 dollars IIRC, a bit more than the free ones, but probably easier to understand and without the comments found in Ali's Translation.

Salaam Aliekum

but they do not say which translation of the Koran they are sending, and $20 seems expensive for a Koran. I used to get them wholesale for $3.6, and I see them at Barnes and Noble.com for 7.95 and 6.95.

the 'Right's American way'.. 'I have a ManDate and Jeff Gannon is my spokesman.'