MUSLIMS CAN DRINK BEER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[quote:637c0a13ce="Poe"]No TAManians. People of the land of Tam :)[/quote:637c0a13ce]

Heh. Tasmania... the Apple Isle. It's one of the Australian states. New Zealand, on the other hand, is an entirely different country but is often lumped in as "part of Australia".

[quote:aebfc6591b="Eveshka"]MUSLIMS CAN DRINK BEER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/quote:aebfc6591b]

Nope, I really don't think they can...

It is clear from the Qur'an that alcohol is an intoxicant.

[i:aebfc6591b]"And from the fruits of date palms and grapes you produce intoxicants..."[/i:aebfc6591b] 16:67

Now, you might argue semantics and say that beer isn't made from date palms or grapes, but we all know the same intoxicant - alcohol.

We also glean from the Qur'an that the use of intoxicants is a gross sin, abomination of the devil and to be avoided.

[i:aebfc6591b]"They ask you about intoxicants and gambling: say, 'In them there is a gross sin, and some benefits for the people. But their sinfulness far outweighs their benefit."[/i:aebfc6591b] 2:219

[i:aebfc6591b]"O you who believe, intoxicants, and gambling, and the altars of idols, and the games of chance are abominations of the devil; you shall avoid them, that you may succeed."[/i:aebfc6591b] 5:90


Seems pretty conclusive to me.

Yeah but you're just mean :P

It's a good thing I'm not Muslim then!

It's strictly grapes. Or at least that is the common thingy. All else is fair game. It's whether or not they think they are, as one Imam who also taught Middle Eastern Studies at the university put it, "going with what they feel is the spirit of what Alah intended." He also said that muslims were well known for making and consuming mead, at least in certain eras.

I recall reading in al-Qalanisi's first hand accounts on the 3rd crusade, translated into english by Muslim scholars, of Saladin's soldiers drinking mead daily. Whether it was to get schnockered or if it had some other nutritional value in it, I've no idea. Personally I think the stuff is vile.

Most mead is neither here nor there really...

However, the stuff they brew on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne is something completely different... the difficulty is getting there. Got to get the tides right...

[img:98ee65a9d0]http://mort.level5.net/DANGER.jpg[/img:98ee65a9d0]

[img:98ee65a9d0]http://mort.level5.net/Causeway2.jpg[/img:98ee65a9d0] [img:98ee65a9d0]http://www.lindisfarne-mead.co.uk/images/BottleMead.jpg[/img:98ee65a9d0]

Lindisfarne is an awesome place!!!

I've never tried the mead though, but I would definitely put the island at the top of the places to visit if your in the UK.

:)

I was in Kos when the London bombings took place and still there when the bomb in Turkey occured, that was more scarey than the one in London.....closer location I suppose.

That's just it... I'm not scared or frightened or intimidated by it at all. Part of me still doesn't believe it happened to be honest.

I'm annoyed with the media though. There was a programme on the TV about the bombings (a couple of days after) and why it happened and it implied that Islamic people were to obviously the culprits and showed scenes of the bombings next to scenes of Muslims protesting peacefullly over the Iraq war in November.

With racial tension as it is already, we don't need it to be portrayed like this.

In my city, three British born Asian boys have been attacked in (as the police said) retailation for the attacks. Its a case of tarring everyone with the same brush and unfortunately it is going to happen.

Yet these bombings will be used as arguments for racial hatred and against aslyum seekers and the like. I work with many aslyum seekers - I can honestly say that all I've met have been polite and genuine people who miss thier country and family but are terrified to go back. Unfortunately, I can see these people getting rounded up into detention centres as a consequence to what happened the other week.

Excuse my ramblings; I just need to get it out.

Lindisfarne is no longer a proper island? That's depressing.

More, in some cases attempted, bombings happened today. :(

A news-flash came on as I was watching The Ashes and something in my head said "Not again, not again", to which end the scene cut to that of a big red bus and I thought "Oh... Fuck".
But, thankfully, nothing hppened on the scale of the earlier attacks and I think that only one person was injured - and not seriously - if that can really be taken as a good thing.

More off-topic...

[quote:575e215638]Yet these bombings will be used as arguments for racial hatred and against aslyum seekers and the like. I work with many aslyum seekers - I can honestly say that all I've met have been polite and genuine people who miss thier country and family but are terrified to go back. Unfortunately, I can see these people getting rounded up into detention centres as a consequence to what happened the other week.[/quote:575e215638]

Although it seems a cynical thing to say, you have been very lucky with the ones you have worked with. Many simply come to England (yes, England, not Britain. It seems to be only England...) to claim the many state benefits that they can here. Like I said, rather cynical, but rather true.
Personally, a green card system like America's would be best. Only let people in we want, not let people in who want it.

I think I am inclined to agree with you griever.....all though you can't tar all the immigrants you meet with the same brush, I must admit out of 40 I interview for jobs only about 10 actually worthwhile employing. The other 30 are not willing to work ,or ...and im sorry to say this....are thieves only looking for an easy life in the uk living on state handouts which rather sticks in my throat when I am working all hours to make ends meet for the sake of paying my taxes to supplement them .

I'm sorry if this seems a rather cynical attitude but it's maybe the trade I am in ....I've seen far too many people trying to take advantage off it to the point that ive wondered if I would be better off not working ....weird isnt it ?

Speaking as a rather far removed ex-pat, I think that Britain should reinstitute its former national sport, Wog bashing.

It's important to remember that the first bombers were not asylum seekers, illegal immigrants or even visitors on a valid visa.

The London bombers were British Citizens, born and raised in Britain, one of them was born in Bradford, where I live.

The idea that this could give rise to a wave of racial hatred, reprisals and oppression makes me sick to the pit of my stomach.

I currently employ a former (as in successful) asylum seeker. He fled the Congo when his boss (the president) was shot in the face by his own bodyguard. His life (even though he was only the IT manager for the presidency) was in grave danger.

This is why we allow asylum seekers to come to this country, for humanitarian reasons. The idea that we might send anyone back to Zimbabwe, where they will probably be shot as they step off the plane (actually, no, they'll prolly be tortured first) again, sickens me.

Yes, there is a problem with illegals, to address this by declaring we will no longer be a safe haven for the oppressed is... unBritish. The problem we seem to have is in reaching correct decisions about who is and is not needing of asylum. The rules frequently make no sense and can be cold and give no consideration to human feelings, especially FEAR. We need to have the rules make sense and allow for that fear. Then we can better judge who is in need of help and who is freeloading.

I'm proud to be British, proud because of our diversity and multicultural roots. Proud that we are enlightened enough to try and help those who cannot stay in their homes for fear of their lives. I intend to remain proud.

For me that means I will continue to treat Mr Singh in the corner shop with respect and I'll still put up with knowing that it'll be hard for me to park near my house at prayer time, on account of the Mosque a few doors down. Pass the time of day with the taxi drivers who have the job of taking to and from the pub on a weekend. Just stuff, just behaving in a reasonable way to all my neighbours, regardless of the colour of their skin or (possibly more importantly at this time) their cultural background.

Racism, racial hatred, cultural oppression and the like are the tools of the enemy. It used to be called "The Final Solution".

Wog Bashing? Fuck. Don't you, of all people, start inciting racial hatred. I thought you were more enlightened than that.

I wasn't trying to suggest that any of the bombers were immigrants, of a legal or illegal kind. That's why I said off-topic. =)

But I must say... Define British? British is not really anything anymore. It has been too far diluted for it to be so. You can't stereotype something (although you shouldn't really stereotype anything) so broad.

I do think a green card system like America's should be put in system because this country is swelled enough in number as it is. I don't think we need more people coming into the country that we don't need, and in most cases aren't wanted. Again, rather cynical but I don't have a very warm heart.