Coptic Preacher’s open letter to Obama on Muslim history in US
Apr 11th, 2010 | By Nabil Asaad | Category: Op-ed
In his speech that he gave in Cairo, our president [Barack Obama] said, “I know, too, that Islam has always been a part of American history.â€
Have they, Mr. Obama, or was this just another peace-making pansy thrown out? Where are the facts? As a scholar in world history, I can tell you.
Other people have defiled another person’s response. They say he “got his basic facts wrong†and is “racistâ€. Unfortunately, those spectators were wrong on both counts. First, I am going to prove the fact that Muslim slavery in America could not have been possible.
When the flurry for North America’s colonization began, the Spanish conquistadors were one of the earliest explorers. Of course, the European monarchs and aristocrats wanted a share in the wealth too. So, they made a deal with King Mansa Musa of the south eastern Africa territory. Guns had just been successfully invented at the time, so they agreed to periodically trade guns for slaves. This is where the first African slaves were taken, because there were not enough Native Americans. Mansa Musa agreed, and you can easily find, even in a common middle school history book, that it is a plain fact that Mansa Musa was a devout Muslim. Funny how you call it “White propaganda†when it was an African who agreed to start this long slave toil.
Because he was such a devout Muslim, Mansa Musa would not even send the lowest class of Muslims into slavery, so instead, he conveniently sent the Christians to their toil.
Some other people said that Muslim blacks were in slavery.
W-R-O-N-G.
They kept their heritage through songs of praise to the Christian God, once again proving that Mansa Musa disposed of as many African Christians as possible. So far, the only Muslim who played a part in our history was the one that started slavery.
Now I’m sure you are going to say that in early times, slaves were forced to convert to Christianity. Again, this is incorrect. It was the Spanish conquistador “missionaries†who were the ones who imposed this religion, and they didn’t even impose it on African slaves! They forced this on Native American tribes such as the Mayas, Aztecs, and even the early Olmecs. Why? Because the African slaves were already Christian!
Next, there is the civil rights movement. Surely, there could have been some black Muslims included. It would be ridiculous to say there weren’t. However, there were people of all races, including Hispanics, African-Americans, Whites, and many others. Need I remind you of our dear friend Jonathan Daniels, a white civil rights activist who was murdered in the name of this historic cause? He was given the crown of martyrdom for his act of courage, yet people continue to say that African-Americans were alone, when, in reality, the civil rights movement was something that people of many races took part in.
Oh yeah, and then there is the Women Suffrage. I’m sure that the more modern, American Muslims respect their women. But in the Middle East, women are beaten publicly if they refuse arranged marriages. In fact, even talking directly to a man is wrong. A close teacher of mine went to the Middle East for a vacation. She was at a fabric shop and she wanted to buy something, so she asked the shopkeeper, a Muslim man, to deliver it to her hotel room. He took the money angrily and when she did get the fabric, it was torn so badly that it was useless. But sure, the Muslims are real feminists.
And now we’ll come to something more recent, one of the biggest scares America has ever faced. Yes, the Muslims were all for America when they destroyed the world trade center and many lives.
And then it makes people want to ask, “Why?†Why is it that Mr. Obama so intent on helping the 9.25 million Muslims in America, when he won’t lift a finger for the 60-70 million minorities in Darfur, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and many other places? In Bush’s presidency, (yes, I am going to give you this terror of a memory) there where about 5.75 million Muslims in America. Now, during Obama’s presidency, there are about 9.25 Muslims. I’m so sure that this is all just a coincidence. Being a minority, forced to flee to America for safety, I would know maybe just a tad more about these things than those of you who have never seen terror. But, because you deem yourselves largely educated on the subject, so you insist on throwing mud at people like Mr. Morris Sadek, who has been doing nothing but expressing what he feels is the truth.
Mr. President made abortion legal, encouraged gays, and discouraged anyone to say “Islamic Jihadâ€.
So far, Mr. President was only presiding for Islam.
Yeah, the Muslims sure had a history. They took part in the beginning of slavery, they were in the civil rights movement, and they tried to destroy our nation on multiple occasions.
Some history.
**Asaad is the head of the Evangelical Arabic Assembly of God Church, an American-based organization.
BM
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_the_United_States#Slaves
Some say that Muslim slavery in the US was not possible, and others say it was. Which side is true? And what difference does it make?
I love your hate speech and the blatant skewing of facts. Last time I checked African slaves were not singing praise to their enslaver’s god. They were forced with death to convert. That’s a “great history.”
The earliest documented cases of Muslims in America were two West African slaves: Ayuba Suleiman Diallo, who was brought to America in 1731 and returned to Africa in 1734, and Omar Ibn Said in the mid 19th century. There has been some speculation that a Moor slave Estevanico of Azamor, who had converted to Christianity 14 years before his arrival in North America in the early 16th century, was at least the first born Muslim to enter the historical record in North America.
How far back in history do you want to go before you come across how your Christian values, enslaved and committed genocide on the natives of ‘America’?
Your hate for another religion and hate for your own president due to your own political bias, makes a mockery out of you.
Thanks once again for fanning the flames of sectarian violence bika masr.
I agree with ed’s comment. This is an absolutely ridiculous and idiotic piece of propaganda. It is embarrassing that Bikya Masr even prints this pitiful excuse for an op-ed.
ed. Notice you didn’t disagree with anything, just complained that telling the truth might make people mad. You can’t blame the truth-teller for how people react to hearing it.
It would be incorrect to call the preacher a “Copt”, and yes, this just fans the flames.
I wonder who is the scum who decided to publish such garbage.
Would it be the Israeli editor of this site who is living in Egypt courtesy of a very corrupt Egyptian government, or the Coptic blood sucker who owns this site.
Joseph Mayton is an American Muslim journalist living in Egypt.
It is published so people can see what “influential” people are saying and that people can respond
This man is not an “influential” person. I’ve never heard of him, no one I know has ever heard of him, and if you type his name into google you won’t find a single news article about him, the third link is this very BM article, and the fourth is a LinkedIn profile of a different person with the same name. When I type my own name into a search engine I get more responses, and needless to say I am not a very important person. He is not influential in the Christian community, or in the world community, only in his church that operates out of New Jersey.
And to add further insult HE IS NOT A COPT. He is an EVANGELICAL. If any of the half-wit admins on this site bothered to spent ten seconds trying to figure out who this person was they would have figured that out. It is disgusting that the people on this site can’t even write an accurate headline. And there’s the nerve to put a donate button on this site. Sorry, but you can’t cure stupidity by throwing money at it.
But my point is, that by choosing this man to represent the voice of Christian people this site is sending a clear message: “Copts” hate muslims so you’d better hate them back. I could find opinions written by “influential” muslims that believe women should by stoned to death for associating with boys and all infidels should be killed. And I could very well try and pass that off as a representation of millions of people’s view just as easily as it is done here. But I wouldn’t because I know that would be STUPID and I don’t want to add to BIGOTRY and HATE.
There is nothing influential about this thug. I would line up 100 Americans and 100 Egyptians, and if a single one recognize his name, I would apologize to the idiot who
published this piece of garbage.
I can’t even begin to argue with that shit. It is waste of anyone’s time and effort.
No one else, but you, published this so called letter to Obama. You need to be selective in what you put here for your reader. You claim to be a professional.
Get real.
Asaad’s office sent this to editors@bikyamasr.com – labeling himself as a Coptic preacher. Therefore, we publish it. If a Muslim scholar or preacher also wants to send a statement full of this bigotry and hatred, we would publish it, just as we publish all views all the time. You get to choose, not us.
I can’t believe that you turn your blog into a garbage can. And we assume there is here a real editor who chose real writings from real people representing different opinions. Whether this is a piece of news or an op ed piece, you have responsibility to the people who come here to present them with something real.
That person is not even a Copt. As someone who lives in Egypt, you should know by now who is a Copt. Besides, he didn’t write anything useful or real. Can you imagine how Obama election suddenly increased the American Muslims from 5.75 millions to 9 .25 millions. Do you consider this a view or opinion?
Please stay away from all those thugs, whether they call themselves “Coptic” preachers or “Muslim” preachers, at least until you know what is poison and what is a real valid opinion.
There is no such thing as a Coptic preacher. There are Copts who preach on occasion. And who is this schmuck Assad exactly? He even *looks* like a jackass.
This joker is lying right from the beginning. He says Mansa Musa, King of Mali in the early 1300′s, is responsible for sending African Christians into slavery in the Americas. The transatlantic slave trade took place beginning in the 1500′s and kidnapped and sold African Muslims and Animists into slavery. So unless Mansa Musa somehow reached out from 200 years beyond the grave to send people into slavery, this guy is propagating a big lie. The fact is that it was European Christians who created the demand for slaves and who conducted and profited from the sale of human beings into lifelong bondage, which involved a lifetime of hard physical labor, torture and then death.
Bikya Masr: Send us your vengeful, half-baked rantings and we’ll pass them off as the voice of millions. No fact checks or clarity required.
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You are such a despicable liar. You obviously know nothing about history. I refer you to the Wikipedia article on Mansa Musa:
“Musa I of Mali was the tenth mansa, meaning “king of kings”, of the Malian Empire who came to the throne in 1307……….”
Maybe you should read the whole thing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musa_(mansa)
This king was around almost 200 years before the discovery of America. Are you such an idiot as to think that people would not search the net to verify this garbage?
Good luck
Muslims invaded egypt and destroyed the coptic culture,and called Egypt an Islamic country. Muslims invaded Israel and took the holy land and called it beyt al makdes. But I believe that 2000 years ago Jews were in palestine and one of them was Jesus. Now they are invading America even though it was not heard of the “islamic contributions in american history” before Martin Luther King. If America doesn’t wake up in time, it will follow the steps of every other nation that was taken over by Islam only to deteriorate and loose its cultural and before-islamic identity like Afghanistan, Turkey, Egypt, and many others.
That’s why I donot like Islam at all because iSLAM that TURNS ALL mOSLIMS lIKE WE SEE FROM THEIR COMMENTS cursers and too many other things especially when you face them with the truth moslimes know cusings or killing from where could please tell me ‘
Nabil asaad
president Of WMUfor peace.
Nabil,
My gut feeling tells me not to respond to your hate speech, but I’ll do it only once. According to your logic, then Christianity turns Christians into liars and racists, as is evident from your article. Read history or at least Wikipedia.
You are a disgrace to Christianity.
again That’s Moslims they donot know how to do any kind of conversations or dialuges other than hate and curse anyway if my wards is like you discribe WHAT DO YOU CALL 9-11 or FORT HOOD or the plane in Christmas TIme and how much money do the Moslim country donated to Haiti or Eastern Asia too many books you can Write moslims bad activities your comments moslims are the nicest ones you donot see what happen to the Israely who are the onwer ofthe land And I’ sure you ‘ll curse why as that is the reality of islam not you I need you to make a conparison about yourself after and before ISLAM THAKS FOR your natural islamic cursing
To Egyptian – yr comment # 18 and 21
Well said and to the point! Nothing to ad – they always get caught in their own traps
.
Take care
your probles Mrs moslems anyone dissagree with you without thinking he is your enemy . is that any christian problem or even any thing against him
you did not tell me about Sep. 11 , the train in Madreed, how about india or England what about cutting people’heads in Iraque we try to get you moslims in acommen point but you always prove that you hate christians and Jews.
you telling me Ihave been trapped that is wrong can you please read Jems Bakieand George Batler or Madam Butcher or Jack Tagher when you finsh tell me if you still defend Islam or even Moslims WE NEED PEACE FOR MINORITIES who are beeing killed every day > Did you here about the person who been burnt alife as he REFUSE tobe MOslim in Bokitan . If I keep Myself writing to you about what Islam doing everyday Ineed At least
50 years.
The difference between myself and Mr. May ton I’m telling the truth as I love peace and I’ m looking for anyone who makes it, but you all against peace BECAUSE you are against the TRUTH
I am a Copt. I can read and I sing Coptic. I can’t believe that this man is passing off as being one of us! It is insulting. Please admin, change the label “coptic preacher” to something else. We have enough troubles with bigots in Egypt, than to have Muslims think that this bigotry and lies are typical of us.
Tony You are not christian stop it as nobody believes a lier.
also I,m not apreacher I;m awriter and announcer and areporter I left you to lie as much as you can do it