Roman Catholic Bishop Wants Everyone to Call God 'Allah'

Joe(Hear those Islamic voices shouting "Shame, shame! Stop!"? No. I didn't think so.)Nation

Joe(Hear those Islamic voices shouting "Shame, shame! Stop!"? No. I didn't think so.)Nation

Muslim leaders organise anti-terror rally

Muslims are organising a rally in Glasgow on Saturday to demonstrate a united front against terrorism and to quell fears of a backlash against Scotland's Islamic community. [..]

Mosques and Islamic organisations hope that the event, which will be held on July 7, the second anniversary of the fatal bombings in London, will demonstrate their resolve against terrorism. They are inviting everyone to take part, including faith leaders, churches, trade unionists and others in civic society under the title "Scotland United Against Terror". [..]

Osama Saeed, Scottish spokesman for the Muslim Association of Britain, who is helping to organise the rally, said [..] "We have a simple equation facing us. We have the terrorists on one side, and the rest of Scotland against them on the other - whether they be Muslim, Christian, people of other faiths or none. [..]

In London, Muslim leaders echoed the messages of shared responsibility. Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, called on the faithful to help to "extinguish the fire" of radicalism within the Muslim community, as he condemned the failed attacks.

He said that the organisation would also hold a meeting in the capital on Saturday to discuss how they could work better with the police. Daud Abdullah, the council's deputy secretary general, [..] said: "We acknowledge there is radicalisation taking place in our community. This is a long-term problem. We are all affected, therefore we all have a shared responsibility to denounce radicalism.

"At the present time our concern is to denounce unequivocally what has happened."

Muslims must help police more, leaders urge

[..] Declaring that "condemnation is not enough", leaders of the Muslim Council of Britain, which has 400 affiliate organisations, voiced its most robust message yet and appealed to all Muslims to work hand in hand with the police. [..]

Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, the MCB's secretary general, said the current crisis meant that issues of conflict between the government, police and Muslim communities - who have clashed in the past over anti-terrorist incidents and foreign policy - needed to be put to one side.

"When the house is on fire, the concern must be not to blame each other but to put the fire out. Our country is under threat level critical." He added: "Those who seek to deliberately kill or maim innocent people are the enemies of us all. There is no cause whatsoever that could possibly justify such barbarity."

He said the police and security services "deserve the fullest support and cooperation from each and every sector of our society, including all Muslims". [..] "It is our Islamic duty not only to utterly and totally condemn such evil actions but to provide all the necessary support to prevent such atrocities from taking place," said Dr Bari. [..]

The rallying call gained broad approval from Muslims shopping and trading amid the bustle of Whitechapel market in east London. "I think the MCB have got it absolutely right," said Abdul Ali, 30, as he tended his jewellery stall. "If I had information I would go to the police. The people killed in a terrorist attack could be my son or my sister."

A young woman in her 30s, her head covered, said: "We all know these people have nothing to do with Islam. They are extremists just like the BNP."

Council and Muslim Leaders unite against terrorism and call to isolate extremists

Stoke-on-Trent City Council and leading members of the Muslim community have called on the exposure of any extremists identified in the community, following the recent terrorist attacks in Glasgow and London. [..]

The imams called for the rejection of all extremist groups and called on all to isolate and expose any extremists identified within the community.

I don't go for that "same God" concept. It's a an intellectual adjunct of that other elusive ideal "brotherly love". The name of the mythical supremo does matter to acolytes. Its part of the "word magic" involved in ritual incantation...particular versions of it are even proscribed or delimited (by Jews for example). The "imsh-allah psychology" permeates the social fabric of Arab society to the extent of reifying despotism and chauvinism.

Humans, like other primates are tribal, and their social cohesion is significantly mediated by idiolectical aspects of language use. The other primates seem to get by without language or such "gods" as that language might evoke.

What is interesting is the social forces (a)which prompted this priest to propose it and (b) which cause it be resisted non-muslims.

Allah is not a special name for the Muslim God, it just means "God" in Arabic.

Did you know that Arabic Christians call God "Allah"?

I don't see what's wrong with everyone calling God Allah, not that it's ever going to happen.

Yes, IMO same forces.

how can the same God give different messages and messengers?