Did you know that the bible and Qur’an contain a lot of similar names that are still being used worldwide today? Well, below are a collection of all that I can find around the web.

1. Aaron / Harun
2. Abel / Habil
3. Abraham / Ibrahim
4. Adam (pronounced eh-duhm) / Adam (pronounced ah-dumb)
5. Adel / Habil
6. Alexander / Iskandar
7. Cain / Qabil
8. Caleb / Kalab
9. David / Daud
10. Eber / Hud
11. Elijah / Ilyas
12. Elisha / al-Yasa
13. Enoch / Idris
14. Eve / Hawwa
15. Ezekiel / Hisqul
16. Ezra / Uzair
17. Gabriel / Jibrail
18. George / Jirjis
19. Goliath / Jalut
20. Isaac / Ishaq
21. Isaiah / Shaya
22. Ishmael / Ismail
23. Jacob / Yaakob
24. Jesus / Isa
25. Jethro / Shoaib
26. Job / Ayub
27. John / Yahya
28. Joseph / Yusuf
29. Jonah / Yunus
30. Joshua / Yusha
31. Lot / Lut
32. Mary / Miriam
33. Moses / Musa
34. Michael / Mikhal
35. Nebuchadnezzar / Bukht Nassar
36. Nimrod / Numrud
37. Noah / Nuh
38. Peter / Petra
39. Rachel / Rahil
40. Samuel / Shamwil
41. Saul / Talut
42. Seth / Shi
43. Shelah / Saleh
44. Solomon / Sulaiman
45. Zechariah / Zakaria

• Muslims believe that the Qur’an is the unadulterated word of God as revealed to Muhammad through the Archangel Gabriel.
• Islamic fundamentalists assert that a correct interpretation of Islam relies solely on the Qur’an, Hadith and Sunnah, excluding tradition and popular practice.

I have been thinking to myself, why does radical Islam exist? What are the root causes?

I scoured the web for answers and I found 10 logical reasons:

1. poverty
2. inferiority complex
3. western imperialism and the damage it has done to second and third world cultures and economies
4. futility and being under authoritarian leadership
5. biased media indoctrination
6. restraint of freedom of speech and free thought
7. Islamic fundamentalists believing that it is their job to rid the world of the infidels
8. a refusal of those responsible to address the issues they caused
9. specific actions such as TPAJAX, the instigation of the Iran/Iraq war, and support of various sides in proxy wars that ended in the deaths of their families and neighbors over foreign struggles for control of oil resources.
10. ignorance that lead to manipulations by insecure people who want control.

What do you think?

As a conclusion, I believe that there only 2 things in this world that can overcome radicalism and extremism.

1. equip oneself with sound knowledge
2. be open-minded and accept the fact that there will always be differences

We are all born with choices. To realize that you have the power of choice is already power itself. Never blame others for your failure to be fully accountable for your own life. If others are to blame then you have given them control. The essence of all great religions are good. =)

Radical Islam
advocating literalistic interpretations of Islam

I once heard the President of a AccountAbility, a non-profit organization established in 1995 that promotes accountability innovations that advance responsible business practices the broader accountability of civil society and public organizations, saying that democracy exists in the Five Pillars of Islam. He said that the five pillars of Islam include freedom of conscience, freedom of expression, human dignity, and gender equality. I can’t believe that hearing him speak has made me want to understand the five pillars better. I did some research and found out what the five core aspects of Islam means.

The Testimony of Faith (Shahadah)

This Pillar is believing in and saying the words. “There is no God except Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah”.

Ritual Prayer (Salat)

This Pillar is praying five times a day. There are set prayers which Muslims should say, and all Muslims should face Mecca in Arabia when praying, and should pray on a prayer mat. People should wash before they pray. There are fixed movements, which include kneeling with the forehead placed on the ground in front. This expresses the servant status of the human being in relation to Allah.

Obligatory / Religious Almsgiving (Zakat)

Each year, Muslims are supposed to give a fixed proportion of their savings for endeavours such as helping the poor. In this way, they believe that their wealth is made pure.

Fasting (Sawm)

Refraining from food and drink during the month of Ramadan during daylight hours.

The Pilgrimage to Mecca

This is making a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in your life, if it can be afforded.

I guess that freedom of conscience comes in where anyone is allowed to think what they want to think. And that none of the five pillars condemns nor punishes any human for having thoughts of their own.

I think that freedom of expression comes in at Shahadah. That one can choose to say or not to say what he believes in. Believing and saying ‘There is no God except Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah’ shows that it is a human choice, not a must say or should say. It’s more like saying it because you believe it.

I think human dignity and gender equality also comes in at all five pillars. There is no specifics to say that only men can do this and women cannot do this. It’s more like regardless of gender, age, or skin colour, if you want to do it, then just do it. Helping the poor, being discipline and expressing right expressions brings about a sense of service and purpose, right?

What do you think?

Five Pillars of Islam
Five core aspects of Islam

Translating Democracy
Democracy in the Muslim world

1. If I were to open up my watch and observed the mechanism within, surely it did not happen by chance, that it was designed. Take a look at the universe around us. Is it possible for the orbits of planets around the sun to the smallest of cells in our body happen by chance? Surely the huge and complex mechanism must've been designed and the Designer must be God.
2. Cause and effect. Everything that exists is an effect of a cause. Which means there must be a "first cause" prior to all the causes. The "first cause" is necessary to explain existence. The "first cause" is God.

There was once a French mathematician, Blaise Pascal, who came up with a philosophy that appealed to people who believed that it was impossible to prove God's existence. Here was what he said :

• God either exists or he does not.
• If we believe in God and he exists, we will be rewarded with eternal bliss in heaven.
• If we believe in God and he does not exist then at worst all we have forgone is a few sinful pleasures.
• If we do not believe in God and he does exist we may enjoy a few sinful pleasures, but we may face eternal damnation.
• If we do not believe in God and he does not exist then our sins will not be punished.

What do you think? =)

• Passages to look for in the bible when feeling emotional. Examples :

1. Depressed – Psalm 34
2. Lonely – Psalm 23, Hebrews 13:5,6
3. Facing Crisis – Psalm 121, Matthew 6:25-34, Hebrews 11

• Virtues and characters of a true Christian. Examples :

1. Contentment – Philippians 4:11-13, 1 Timothy 6:6
2. Forgiveness - Mark 11:25,26, Ephesians 4:31,32
3. Sincerity – Philippians 1:9,10

• Teachings about life's problems. Examples :

1. Adultery – Matthew 5:27-32
2. Excuses – Luke 14:15-24
3. Lip Service – Matthew 7:21

All the keywords to the topics above are sorted alphabetically. So if you're ever feeling doubtful or uncertain, just go to God's Yellow Pages and and you'll find comfort and strength to sooth your soul. =)

God's Yellow Pages