Featured Discussions - The 4 Freedoms Library2024-03-29T09:28:18Zhttp://4freedoms.com/group/egypt/forum/topic/list?feed=yes&xn_auth=no&featured=1Egypt: From Freedom of Dress to the Conformance of Submission (Islam) - in 25 yearstag:4freedoms.com,2013-10-01:3766518:Topic:1396042013-10-01T02:35:03.908ZAlan Lakehttp://4freedoms.com/profile/AlanLake
<p>I can't find the original article I got these photos from, but since many people are unaware of this clearly documented progression, I'm putting the photos here on their own. These photos are from the Al Azhar University, the premier Arabic university in Cairo.</p>
<p>In 1959, the women can dress how they like, with skirts, dresses and bare arms, and there are no head-scarves.…</p>
<p></p>
<p>I can't find the original article I got these photos from, but since many people are unaware of this clearly documented progression, I'm putting the photos here on their own. These photos are from the Al Azhar University, the premier Arabic university in Cairo.</p>
<p>In 1959, the women can dress how they like, with skirts, dresses and bare arms, and there are no head-scarves.</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/110492517?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="750" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/110492517?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750" class="align-full"/></a>This freedom continues happily through to 1978:</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/110492608?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/110492608?profile=original" width="698" class="align-full"/></a>By 1995, about half the women are wearing headscarves, with their legs and arms fully covered:</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/110492563?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="750" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/110492563?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750" class="align-full"/></a>By 2004, most of the women have their head, legs and arms fully covered:</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/110492509?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="750" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/110492509?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p></p> Egypt: Future President (12 yrs old) explains Democracy and the Muslim Brotherhoodtag:4freedoms.com,2013-08-21:3766518:Topic:1349732013-08-21T00:32:39.768ZAlan Lakehttp://4freedoms.com/profile/AlanLake
<p>This 12 years old boy is just stunningly, incredibly smart. Listen to him as he excoriates the Muslim Brotherhood, relentlessly dissecting their power grab.<iframe width="640" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/QeDm2PrNV1I?rel=0&wmode=opaque" frameborder="0"></iframe>
</p>
<p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/07/09/ali-ahmed-egyptian-boy_n_3567462.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/07/09/ali-ahmed-egyptian-boy_n_3567462.html</a></p>
<p>This 12 years old boy is just stunningly, incredibly smart. Listen to him as he excoriates the Muslim Brotherhood, relentlessly dissecting their power grab.<iframe width="640" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/QeDm2PrNV1I?rel=0&wmode=opaque" frameborder="0"></iframe>
</p>
<p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/07/09/ali-ahmed-egyptian-boy_n_3567462.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/07/09/ali-ahmed-egyptian-boy_n_3567462.html</a></p> Egyptian Christians appeal for help to international human rights organizationstag:4freedoms.com,2010-02-16:3766518:Topic:178092010-02-16T16:01:47.000ZAlan Lakehttp://4freedoms.com/profile/AlanLake
<a href="http://www.jihadwatch.org/2010/02/egyptian-christians-appeal-for-help-to-international-human-rights-organizations.html">http://www.jihadwatch.org/2010/02/egyptian-christians-appeal-for-help-to-international-human-rights-organizations.html</a><br></br>
<br></br>
But will they listen? A message from The Middle East Christian Association (thanks to Ann):<br></br>
<br></br>
Economic Blow to the Christians in Upper Egypt<br></br>
<br></br>
Appeal to all international human rights organization from the…
<a href="http://www.jihadwatch.org/2010/02/egyptian-christians-appeal-for-help-to-international-human-rights-organizations.html">http://www.jihadwatch.org/2010/02/egyptian-christians-appeal-for-help-to-international-human-rights-organizations.html</a><br/>
<br/>
But will they listen? A message from The Middle East Christian Association (thanks to Ann):<br/>
<br/>
Economic Blow to the Christians in Upper Egypt<br/>
<br/>
Appeal to all international human rights organization from the Christians<br/>
of the towns of Farshout, Abu Tesht, Abu Shusha, El-Arky, El-Dahsha, El-Khawaled and El-Kom El-Ahmar.<br/>
<br/>
We, the Christian inhabitants of these towns appeal to you for support, as we have been subjected to brutal terrorist attacks from Muslims residing in our same towns. These attacks resulted in an estimated loss of over five million Egyptian pounds, equivalent to more than one million US dollars.<br/>
<br/>
On the morning of Saturday, November 21 2009, we were stunned by the presence of well-organized groups of people, distributed all over the town of Farshout; they were physically assaulting any Christian person they met in the streets, whether it be a man, woman, girl or even a child, accompanied by Islamic chants, as if they were on a new Islamic invasion.<br/>
<br/>
They broke into all the shops and businesses owned by Christians, breaking down the doors, looting all contents, only to leave after it was completely empty, then setting it on fire. They went from one Christian-owned shop to another.<br/>
<br/>
More than 40 shops have been broken into, all this was happening while they sung Islamic chants as if they were undertaking a legitimate act approved by Islam, or a Muslim invasion which would make the heart of the God of Islam happy.<br/>
<br/>
All this took place before the eyes and ears of the security forces and the Egyptian police without any intervention on their part. The police left the mob to carry out looting and opened the way for them to escape without the slightest objection from them, as if the police were there to protect them during their looting and not to arrest them.<br/>
<br/>
The Coptic Orthodox Society was also broken into and completely vandalized. It was licensed over 30 years ago by the Ministry of Social Affairs and has been engaged in helping the needy in this town and the neighboring ones. It taught crafts to young men and women to combat unemployment and provided micro-credit for poor families to assist them in starting small business projects. In spite of being a Coptic society, it provided assistance to Christians and Muslims alike, without any distinction and was ultimately completely vandalized by those whom it has lent a supporting hand. Some houses were also broken into, forcing the residents to go out and leave their homes behind; they looted the contents of the whole house, while the Muslims in the streets assaulted those families before letting them go.<br/>
<br/>
What we write to you now represents only a fraction of what actually happened to us, we the Christians of these villages, and we have evidence, in pictures and video footage, to prove all what we are saying.<br/>
<br/>
The Bishop of the Diocese of Nag Hammadi to which our village is affiliate, HG Bishop Kyrillos, is fully prepared to take any telephone conversation from any authority wishing to investigate this issue further. HG is also pleading for support since help from inside Egypt is lacking, and so far, the security authorities have failed to respond to this matter.<br/>
<br/>
We appeal to all international human rights organizations to intervene so that we, the Christians, can obtain the least of our human rights, which is to live and co-exist in Peace. We have lost everything that we own in this blow, which was specifically aimed at hitting the Christians economically and destroying the Coptic economic infrastructure in this town and the Province of Qena at large.<br/>
<br/>
Presented by The Christians of Farshout and the affiliated villages<br/>
<br/>
Posted by Robert on February 14, 2010 Jihad against Egyptian Coptic Christians (640-655)tag:4freedoms.com,2009-09-19:3766518:Topic:8812009-09-19T14:51:06.000ZNetconhttp://4freedoms.com/profile/Netcon
<p class="byline"><font face="Verdana" size="2">By</font> <a href="http://www.islam-watch.org/HistoryOfJihad/index.html"><font face="Verdana" size="2">History of Jihad</font></a> <font face="Verdana" size="2">18 April, 2007</font></p>
<div class="ArticleText"><h3 class="GeneralLink"><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">How the Jihadis vandalized this ancient land and wiped out Christianity as well as the ancient culture of Egypt – leaving only the massive Pyramids and the Sphinx as mute witness to…</font></b></h3>
</div>
<p class="byline"><font face="Verdana" size="2">By</font> <a href="http://www.islam-watch.org/HistoryOfJihad/index.html"><font face="Verdana" size="2">History of Jihad</font></a> <font face="Verdana" size="2">18 April, 2007</font></p>
<div class="ArticleText"><h3 class="GeneralLink"><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">How the Jihadis vandalized this ancient land and wiped out Christianity as well as the ancient culture of Egypt – leaving only the massive Pyramids and the Sphinx as mute witness to the glory of Egypt before it was vandalized by the Arab Muslims.</font></b></h3>
<hr/><p><font face="Verdana" size="2">The four centuries of ceaseless warfare between the Byzantine (Eastern-Roman) Empire and the Sassanid Persian Empire in the 6th and 7th centuries had weakened both empires. It was at this unfortunate juncture that the Muslim Arabs pounced on both empires in fourth decade of the 7th century (641 C.E.). After their conquest of the Byzantine provinces of Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine (today’s Israel), they invaded Egypt in December 641 C.E.</font></p>
<center><p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">__________________________________</font></b></p>
<p></p>
<p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2"><img height="144" src="http://historyofjihad.org/egypt.jpg" width="191"/></font></b></p>
</center>
<p class="SmallLink"><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">The persecuted Copts were the original inhabitants. Egypt, before the Islamic invasion was not an Arab country. Many of us are under a mistaken impression that Egyptians are Arabs. Mohammed Atta, the ringleader of the 9/11 attacks who led a group of Arabs was an Egyptian. So also was the Cairo born Yasser Arafat, who deceived the world by posing as a Palestinian. Both these scoundrels certainly considered themselves to be Arabs, as do the millions of Egyptians today. But little do they realize that apart from the few Arab invaders who traumatized Byzantine ruled Egypt in the 7th century, none of them are descendants of Bedouin Arabs. They descend from the Pharaohs (Firaun) who built the classic Egyptian civilization along the Nile valley in beautiful cities like Luxor, Memphis, Karnak and Thebes.</font></b></p>
<center><p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">__________________________</font></b></p>
</center>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">Egypt was one of the precious crown jewels of the Eastern-Roman Empire. Egypt was the breadbasket of Rome first and of then Constantinople. It was a fertile land that produced and exported wheat, corn, wine, oil, textiles, glass, cosmetics, and medicinal and chemical products of the time. The population of Egypt made up of Christian Copts was estimated to have been about 9 millions at the time the Arab aggression in 641.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana"><font size="2"><b>Egypt before the Islamic invasion was not an Arab country</b></font></font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">Many of us are under a mistaken impression that Egyptians are Arabs. Mohammed Atta, the ringleader of the 9/11 attacks led a group of Arabs was an Egyptian. So also was the Cairo born Yasser Arafat, who deceived the world by posing as a Palestinian. Both these scoundrels certainly considered themselves to be Arabs, as do the millions of Egyptians today. But little do they realize that apart from the few Arab invaders who traumatized Byzantine ruled Egypt in the 7th century, none of them are descendants of Bedouin Arabs.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">They descend from the Pharaohs (Firaun) who built the classic Egyptian civilization along the Nile valley in beautiful cities like Luxor, Memphis, Karnak and Thebes. Their Pharaohs like Ramses, Nefertiti built awe-inspiring Pyramids, that reflected deep mysteries of the universe as many of the pyramids are built to depict star constellations of those days.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">The religion of the ancient Egyptians was based on nature-worship, as was that of the pre-Islamic Arabs, the Greco-Romans, Hindus, Mesoamericans, etc.</font></p>
<p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">Pre-Islamic rulers of Egypt after the Pharaohs</font></b></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">From the 6th century B.C.E. up to the 4th century B.C.E. Egypt was under Persian rule of the Achemenian (Hakkamanishiya) dynasty. The Persians were Zoroastrians, but they did not in any way interfere with the religious beliefs of the Egyptians.</font></p>
<center><p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">__________________________________</font></b></p>
<p></p>
<p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2"><img height="467" src="http://historyofjihad.org/egypt1.jpg" width="310"/></font></b></p>
</center>
<p class="SmallLink"><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">A Christian monastery hidden in the hills in Egypt. When the Roman emperor Constantine embraced Christianity in the 4th century did the people of Egypt as subjects of the Roman empire start converting to Christianity. And when the Arab Muslims invaded Egypt, the native Egyptian population was fully Christian, although the ancient religion has influenced Egyptian Christianity and many of the original rituals were being followed by the Egyptians. But when the Arab Muslim stormed in to Egypt, the Christians were subject to fierce persecution, and many of the churches and Basilicas were destroyed and converted into Mosques. Egypt’s Coptic Christians had to retreat to the hilly and barren areas to remain safe from being converted to Islam at the pain of death by their Arab Muslim tormentors.</font></b></p>
<center><p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">__________________________</font></b></p>
<p></p>
</center>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">In the 4th century the Persians were displaced in Egypt by the Greeks under Alexander, who built the city of Alexandria on the Nile Delta, to serve as a entry port for the Greeks who came sailing across the Mediterranean.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">Even the Greek rule of the Ptolemys next three centuries did not interfere with the religious beliefs of the Egyptians. They continued worshipping their age-old deities, the Sun God, Ra or Amon Ra, Horus, the sky god, who had the head of a hawk, and body of a human and many others. In the 1st century C.E. despite the efforts of Greco-Egyptian rulers like Cleopatra, Egypt became part of the Roman Empire under Julius Ceaser. But even the Romans did not tamper with the religious beliefs of the Egyptians.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">So after a procession of invaders the Persians, Greeks, Romans, the religion of the Egyptians remained unique and original. Only when the Roman emperor Constantine embraced Christianity in the 4th century did the people of Egypt as subjects of the Roman empire start converting to Christianity. And when the Arab Muslims invaded Egypt, the native Egyptian population was fully Christian, although the ancient religion has influenced Egyptian Christianity and many of the original rituals were being followed by the Egyptians.</font></p>
<center><p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">__________________________________</font></b></p>
<p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2"><img height="174" src="http://historyofjihad.org/egypt2.jpg" width="141"/></font></b></p>
</center>
<p class="SmallLink"><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">The Greek word Egyptos came from the ancient Egyptian words Ha-Ka-Ptah which translates as “the house” or “temple of the spirit of God Ptah”, one of the major ancient Egyptian Gods. The word Copt is also derived from Ka-Ptah. So Coptic simply means Egyptian, however the Muslim population of Egypt now mistakenly calls themselves Arabs. So in contemporary usage, the word Copt or Coptic has come to mean the Christian population of Egypt.</font></b></p>
<center><p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">__________________________</font></b></p>
<p></p>
</center>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">The Egyptians considered themselves to be a Hamitic people, unlike the Arabs who are Semitic. The <b>Hamitic people</b> comprised the Egyptians, Nubians (Sudanese), Abyssinians (Ethiopians), Somalis and Masai (inhabitants of Kenya and Tanzania). The ancient civilization of Egypt is not referred to as the Arabian civilization of ancient Egypt, nor are the pharaohs referred to as Arab kings.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">The Arab character was imposed on Egypt only after the Arabs overran Egypt in 641 C.E. It was the Arabs who gave the name Copt to the Egyptians. The word Copt is an English word taken from the Arabic word Gibt or Gypt (derived ultimately from Ka-Ptah). The Arabs after their conquest of Egypt in 641 A.D. called the indigenous population of Egypt as Gypt from the Greek word Egyptos or Egypt. The Greek word Egyptos came from the ancient Egyptian words Ha-Ka-Ptah or the house or temple of the spirit of God Ptah, one of the major ancient Egyptian Gods. The word Copt or Coptic simply means Egyptian, however <b>the Muslim population of Egypt now mistakenly calls themselves Arabs</b>. So in contemporary usage, the word Copt or Coptic has come to mean the Christian population of Egypt.</font></p>
<p></p>
<p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">The Muslim gangster who first tormented the Egyptians</font></b></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">The Muslim gangster who first tormented the Egyptians was Amr bin Al-Aas who overran the Nile valley under the orders of another gangster, (the Caliph) Umar to spread Jihad in Egypt and convert the Kafir Egyptians to Islam. Amr bin Al-Aas who like Umar was also a first generation convert to Islam, had visited Egypt, before his clan, the Bani Sahm of the Quraish tibe had been forced to embrace Islam, when Mohammed-ibn-Abdallah overran Makkah (Mecca) in 630 C.E.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">Like the other Quraish chiefs, Amr had bitterly opposed Islam in his early days. In fact he had commanded a Quraish contingent at the battle of Uhud in 630 A.D. and under the leadership of Khalid-ibn-Waleed and had defeated the Muslim gangsters led by Mohammed-ibn-Abdallah (the brigand who led the first band of criminals who became the first Muslims and he their prophet).</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">But after the fall of Mecca to the Muslims, Amr bin Al-Aas and Khalid-ibn-Waleed rode from Mecca to Madina and there both of them were forcibly converted to Islam. Their conversion was not voluntary, but once they saw that it made good practical sense to join the victorious Muslims, they too joined the band and not just survived but thrived by wholeheartedly using the same techniques of tormenting others looting and raping them and compelling all their victims to embrace Islam. Thereafter Amr like Khalid-ibn-Waleed took part in all the campaigns fought by the Muslim gangsters.</font></p>
<p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">Taqiyya which means deception in Arabic is the cornerstone of Muslim relations with Kafirs (non-Muslims). Muslims are encouraged to deceive Kafirs all along. The technique Taqiyya was consistently used in warfare by Muslims and it was this which gave them victory over non-Muslims in addition to their schizophrenic savagery.</font></b></p>
<center><p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">__________________________________</font></b></p>
<p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2"><img height="493" src="http://historyofjihad.org/egypt3.jpg" width="266"/></font></b></p>
</center>
<p class="SmallLink"><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">We may note that the ancient civilization of Egypt is not referred to as the Arabian civilization of ancient Egypt, nor are the pharaohs referred to as Arab kings.</font></b></p>
<p class="SmallLink"><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">The Arab character was imposed only after the Arabs overran Egypt in 641 C.E. It was the Arabs who gave the name Copt to the Egyptians. The word Copt is an English word taken from the Arabic word Gibt or Gypt (derived ultimately from the ancient Egyptian term Ka-Ptah). The Arabs after their conquest of Egypt in 641 A.D. called the indigenous population of Egypt as Gypt from the Greek word Egyptos or Egypt.</font></b></p>
<center><center><p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">__________________________</font></b></p>
<p></p>
</center>
</center>
<p><font face="Verdana"><font size="2"><b>The story of Amr – the first Muslim tormentor of Egypt</b></font></font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">There is a story that before joining the gang of Muslims, when Amr was still a nature worshipping Arab before being corrupted into a brutal despot by Islam, as a young boy he had traveled once to Palestine with a caravan. One day it was the duty of Amr to shepherd the camels of the caravan in the plain outside Jerusalem. It was a hot day, and as Amr sat under the shade of a tree, he saw a weary traveler come that way. The traveler appeared to be in a bad state because of thirst. Amr placed his water skin at the disposal of the traveler who drank to his fill. Having quenched his thirst the traveler lay to rest under a nearby tree and soon he was sleep.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">A little later Amr saw a snake crawl out from a hole and proceed to the sleeping traveler. Amr took out his bow and shot an arrow at the snake which fell dead. After some time the traveler woke to find that a dead snake lay near him. He asked Amr as to what had happened, and Amr told him that he had shot at the snake. Turning to Amr, the traveler said, "You have saved my life twice firstly when I was dying of thirst, and secondly when I was exposed to the danger of the snake". He said that he would pay him an amount equivalent to the blood money for two lives. He stated that he had come to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage from Egypt. This man was no ordinary person, he was Maqauqas the High Priest of the Christian Copts in Egypt. He wanted Amr to accompany him to Egypt where he would pay the blood money. Amr hesitated to visit Egypt but Maqauqas, the Egyptian priest painted such a rosy picture of Egypt that the curiosity of Amr was excited and he ultimately agreed to accompany the Egyptian priest.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">Amr and the Egyptian priest traveled to Egypt. Throughout the journey Maqauqas looked after all the needs of Amr. When they reached Alexandria Amr was lodged in a magnificent mansion and treated as a royal guest. Maqauqas, the powerful host of Amr took him to attend the festival at the Hippodrome. One of the rites performed at the festival was the Golden Ball rite. A priest struck a golden ball and sent it flying in the air. The belief was that he in whose sleeve the golden ball landed would be the destroyer of Egypt. When the high priest struck the garden ball every one followed the path of the golden ball with tense expectation. As the ball curved in the air, it landed in the sleeve of Amr. The spectators were dumbstruck. They could not believe that an uncouth Arab from the desert could destroy Egypt. They thought that there had been some mistake somewhere in the shooting of the golden ball.</font></p>
<center><p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">__________________________________</font></b></p>
<p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2"><img height="466" src="http://historyofjihad.org/egypt4.jpg" width="306"/></font></b></p>
</center>
<p class="SmallLink"><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">When the Arab Muslims invaded Egypt, the native Egyptian population was fully Christian, although the ancient religion has influenced Egyptian Christianity and many of the original rituals were being followed by the Egyptians.</font></b></p>
<center><p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">__________________________</font></b></p>
<p></p>
</center>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">Maqauqas, Amr’s bewildered host said to him, "I cannot say, but this omen from the gods on high can never be false. Strange are the ways of destiny and who knows some day you may come here again."</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">The puzzled Amr returned from Egypt loaded with gifts and money. But the episode of the golden ball always remained fresh in the memory of Amr. He often tried to dismiss it as an idle dream, but in his heart of hearts there was a strong conviction that some day he would march to Egypt as its conqueror and destroy all that existed there.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">So when Amr became the Commander-in-Chief of the Muslim forces in Syria, he incessantly thought of conquering Egypt and fulfill his desire that had been aroused with what had been prophesied for him. His desire was fulfilled when Umar gave him orders to conquer and devastate this Kufr land. Amr b. Al-Aas immediately left for Egypt with 40,000 soldiers.</font></p>
<center><p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">__________________________________</font></b></p>
<p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2"><img height="448" src="http://historyofjihad.org/egypt5.jpg" width="340"/></font></b></p>
</center>
<p class="SmallLink"><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">Babylon was a city in Byzantine Egypt, not to be confused with ancient Babylon in Mesopotamia. This was the city which the Arabs renamed as Al Fustat and later as Al Qahira (or today’s Cairo). The Muslims launched attacks on the fortress of Babylon every now and then, but these were repulsed. For two months the confrontation wore on with the Byzantines sitting tight in their defenses and repulsing the frequent Muslim attacks against the crossings of the ditch that surrounded the city.</font></b></p>
<center><p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">__________________________</font></b></p>
<p></p>
</center>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">In the latter part of December 639 the Muslim army reached Farma on the border of Egypt. It was a fortified town manned by a Byzantine garrison. The Muslims besieged the town. There were sallies and counter sallies with no decisive result. The siege dragged on for two months. Towards the fall of February 640 an assault group led by Useifa-ibn-Wala assaulted the fort at the dead of night. Thereupon the Byzantine resistance collapsed and this outpost city was captured by the Muslims.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana"><font size="2"><b>The use of subterfuge and foul tactics, made the conquest of Egypt a walkover for the insidious Muslims</b></font></font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">After the fall of Farma the Muslims marched to Bilbeis 40 miles from Memphis. Bilbeis was in the Negev desert (on the border of what is Israel today), the Muslims advanced It was a fortified town, and the Muslims besieged it, cutting off the water supply. The siege lasted for a month, and towards the end of March 640 the city surrendered to the Muslims.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">From Bilbeis the Muslims marched to Babylon (a city in Byzantine Egypt, not to be confused with ancient Babylon in Mesopotamia). It was this City of Babylon, the Arabs renamed as Al Fustat and later as Al Qahira (or today’s Cairo).</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">Due to the use of subterfuge and foul tactics, the conquest of Egypt had been a walkover till then. But at Babylon this expectation was belied. Even at the outposts of Babylon, the Muslims had to meet stiff resistance. The siege of Babylon dragged on for seven months. Babylon was a larger and more important city and here stiff resistance was expected. Amr nevertheless persevered and pushed on to the very walls of Babylon.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">Babylon was the key city of Egypt. Close to it was Memphis the ancient capital of the Pharaohs. (Modern Cairo is built at the one time site of Babylon). The Muslims arrived before Babylon some time in May 640 C.E.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">Babylon was a fortified city, and the Byzantines had prepared it for a siege. Outside the city, a ditch had been dug, and a large force was positioned in the area between the ditch and the city walls. The fort of Babylon was a massive structure 60 ft. high with walls more than 6 ft. thick. The fort was studded with numerous towers and bastions.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">As soon as Amr arrived at Babylon, he formed up his force of 4,000 men in assault formation and attacked the Byzantine positions in front of him. This tactic led to some fierce fighting, but the attack was repulsed by the Byzantines. Amr pulled his men back and went into camp near the east bank of the Nile. The Byzantine force in Babylon was six times the strength of the Muslim force, so the Muslims decided to use the easy way out by employing subterfuge.</font></p>
<center><p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">__________________________________</font></b></p>
<p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2"><img height="285" src="http://historyofjihad.org/egypt6.jpg" width="410"/></font></b></p>
<p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">The Jihadis vandalized this ancient land of Egypt and wiped out Christianity as well as the ancient culture of Egypt – leaving only the massive Pyramids and the Sphinx as mute witnesses. In fact, the Muslims also tried to desecrate these lifeless but awesome monuments but the monuments survived because of their gigantic size, to be the mute witnesses to the barbaric Muslim attack on Christian Coptic Egypt. Except for these monuments, the Muslim did succeed in brutally destroying the glory of ancient Egypt, its language, culture, and religion. A glory that had stood uninterrupted before it was vandalized by these barbarian Bedouins.</font></b></p>
<p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">__________________________</font></b></p>
<p></p>
</center>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">The Muslims launched attacks every now and then on the besieged Christian at Babylon, but these were repulsed. For two months the confrontation wore on with the Byzantines sitting tight in their defenses and repulsing the frequent Muslim attacks against the crossings of the ditch. In July, Amr wrote to Umar asking for reinforcements. In August a reinforcement 4,000 strong came from Syria. Thus reinforced the Muslims renewed their attacks with greater force, but still their attacks were not able to make any headway against Byzantine resistance.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">In these desultory skirmishes, a good number of Byzantine soldiers were killed, but no dents were made in the defenses of the city. The attacks were called off and Amr again wrote to Umar for more help. Umar raised a force in Madina for dispatch to Egypt. Among those who volunteered to fight on the Egyptian front was Zubeir bin Al-Awwam, a cousin of the accursed Prophet Mohammed.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">Umar indeed offered Zubeir the chief command of Egypt. Zubeir did not accept the chief command, but he agreed to go to the help of Amr. So another reinforcement force 4000 strong was dispatched from Madina to Egypt. It comprised four columns each column one thousand strong. The Muslims now renewed their attacks against the Byzantines. In the attack launched by the Muslims some bloodied fighting followed, and some Byzantine detachments posted in front of the ditch were driven behind the ditch. The main Byzantine defenses however, remained unshaken. Consequently, Amr with Zubeir decided to lift the siege of Babylon and attack the fortress of Heliopolis instead that was lightly defended.</font></p>
<center><p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">__________________________________</font></b></p>
<p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2"><img height="313" src="http://historyofjihad.org/egypt8.jpg" width="318"/></font></b></p>
</center>
<p class="SmallLink"><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">There was a cavalry clash outside the fortress of Heliopolis, and though many Byzantines were killed, the engagement was not decisive. From the Muslim camp Amr and Zubeir dug a tunnel into the fort and slipped some of his hand-picked soldiers and after overpowering the guards opened the gates for the Muslim army to enter. Thereupon the local Byzantine garrison was massacred, and the city was occupied by the Muslims. This reminds us of the tunnels which the Palestinain terrorists of Hamas, Jihad Islami (Islamic Jihad) and Fatah dig in Gaza to smuggle in weapons from Egypt into Gaza to launch terrorist attacks against innocent Israeli civilians. The weapons have changed from swords to suicide vests, but the murderous Muslim mentality has not changed one bit.</font></b></p>
<center><p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">__________________________</font></b></p>
<p></p>
</center>
<p><font face="Verdana"><font size="2"><b>The taking of Heliopolis by subterfuge</b></font></font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">Ten miles from Babylon was another fortress at Heliopolis. It was the city of the Sun Temple of the Pharaohs. There was the danger that a Byzantine force from Heliopolis might attack the Muslims from the flank while it was engaged with the Byzantine army at Babylon. So with some detachments Amr and Zubeir marched to Heliopolis. There was a cavalry clash outside Heliopolis, and though many Byzantines were killed, the engagement was not decisive. From the Muslim camp Amr and Zubeir dug a tunnel into the fort and slipped some of his hand-picked soldiers and after overpowering the guards opened the gates for the Muslim army to enter.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">Thereupon the local Byzantine garrison was massacred, and the city of Heliopolis was occupied by the Muslims after a general slaughter of the unarmed civilian population. This reminds us of the tunnels which the Palestinain terrorists of Hamas, Jihad Islami (Islamic Jihad) and Fatah dig in Gaza to smuggle in weapons from Egypt into Gaza to launch terrorist attacks against innocent Israeli civilians. The weapons have changed from swords to suicide vests, but the murderous Muslim mentality has not changed one bit.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana"><font size="2"><b>The attempt to take Babylon by drawing the Byzantine army out of the fort using a feigned retreat</b></font></font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">From Heliopolis, Amr and Zubeir with their band of gangsters returned to Babylon to press the siege against the Byzantines with greater ferocity. The Byzantines on their part began to sally forth across the ditch and counterattack attack the besieging Muslims.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">To break this stalemate the Muslim high command approved a stratagem. The following day when the Byzantines launched the attack the Muslims fell back according to a pre-determined plan. The Byzantines thought that they had overpowered the Muslims. They pressed the attack, and the Muslims continued to withdraw till the a large part of the Byzantine army had crossed outside the ditch. At a signal of Amr, five hundred Muslim horsemen led by Kharija bin Huzafa broke cover and rode out into the rear of the Byzantine army. The main Muslim army now turned back and charged the Byzantines with great violence. Reeling from Muslim blows the Byzantines moved back to be attacked in the rear by Kharija and his men.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">The Byzantine forces were now thrown into confusion. Many Byzantines were killed, but the main Byzantine army again managed to cross the ditch and seek shelter inside the walled city. The Byzantines entered the city and shut the gates. But now the area between the ditch and the city came to be occupied by the Muslims and that was a tactical advantage.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">The Muslims brought some catapults into action and started hurling boulders inside the city. That caused considerable distress to the Byzantines locked up in the city.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana"><font size="2"><b>How Muslims used betrayal of personal relations to conduct sham negotiations for spying on the Byzantine garrison</b></font></font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">Under desperation the Byzantine General Theodorus appointed Maqauqas the Viceroy of Egypt and the High Priest of the Copts whom Amr had met in his pre-Muslim days in Palestine, and when Amr had given him water when he was dying with thirst and then saved him from snakebite. As such Maqauqas trusted Amr and when he was not a Muslim Amr was also a trustworthy man. But now Islam had changed all that and Amr decided to use his past relations with Maqauqas to use emotional blackmail and capture the strong fort city of Babylon using subterfuge.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">Maqauqas asked for Amr to send in his emissaries. These emissaries remained in Babylon two days. During these two days they studied the defenses of the fort from inside. In the guise of emissaries Amr had sent in spies. The Muslim envoys saw Maqauqas, and they offered the Byzantines the usual three alternatives?</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">- Embrace Islam.<br/>- Surrender and pay Jizya.<br/>- Face a Muslim attack.</font></p>
<center><p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">__________________________________</font></b></p>
<p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2"><img height="402" src="http://historyofjihad.org/egypt7.jpg" width="318"/></font></b></p>
</center>
<p class="SmallLink"><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">The Byzantine guards allowed the Muslim delegation to approach the Gate, as negotiations were in progress under the patronage of Maqauqas the High Priest of the Copts who was a great personal friend of the Muslim Commander Amr.</font></b></p>
<p class="SmallLink"><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">But this time, once the Muslims approached the Gate and were under Stone canopy above the gate over which stood the ramparts to defend the gate from any assault, the Muslims overpowered the Byzantine delegation which had come out of the fort to negotiate with the Muslims. After slaughtering the Byzantine delegation, the Arabs then set fire to the huge wooden gate and burned it down to attack the fort. Such was the Muslim subterfuge that led to the fall of Babylon to the Muslims. It was on the site of Byzantine Babylon did the marauding Arab Muslims established a camp called Al Fustat that later was renamed Al Qahira or the Cairo of today.</font></b></p>
<center><center><p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">__________________________</font></b></p>
<p></p>
</center>
</center>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">Maqauqas wanted some time to consider the matter and the Muslim envoys returned to their camp. When they returned they were accompanied by some Coptic and Byzantine emissaries who went to the Muslim camp to continue negotiations, but there was no progress as the Muslim stuck to their three alternatives - Islam, Jizya, or war.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">The emissaries traversed back and forth for many days. On one such occasion when the Muslims called the Byzantine emissaries to the fortress gate for negotiations. The Byzantine guards allowed the Muslim delegation to approach the fortress gate, as negotiations were in progress under the patronage of Maqauqas the High Priest of the Copts who was a great personal friend of the Muslim Commander Amr.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">But this time once the Muslims approached the Gate and were under Stone canopy above the gate over which stood the ramparts to defend the gate from any assault, the Muslims overpowered the Byzantine delegation which had come out of the fort to negotiate with the Muslims. After slaughtering the Byzantine delegation, the Arabs then set fire to the huge wooden gate and burned it down. The Byzantine army inside could not attack them, as the Muslims were standing under the ramparts around the gate, and the Byzantine soldiers were above the ramparts and so could do nothing to put out the fire that had been lit from outside the Gate.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">Once the Gate was partially burnt down, the entire Muslim army that lay in wait in their camp rushed towards the burning gate and leapt through the flames into the city. And once the Muslims gained access to the city, the resistance there was fierce. But the unexpected subterfuge had unnerved the Byzantines and their resistance gradually collapsed and the capital city of Byzantine Egypt passed into the hands of the Arab Muslims. Such was the Muslim subterfuge that led to the fall of Babylon to the Muslims. It was on the site of Byzantine Babylon did the marauding Arab Muslims established a camp called Al Fustat that later was renamed Al Qahira or the Cairo of today.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana"><font size="2"><b>Lessons from the Battle of Babylon for the Americans and Europeans of today</b></font></font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">During the negotiations, Maqauqas had offered an amount of 100 diners to each Commander, and one thousand diners to the Caliph. But the Muslim negotiator Ubada scornfully told Maqauqas that the Muslims could not be bought with gold which anyway would all be theirs after they had taken the city by force. He added that if they died in the battle, they would get paradise. This holds a lesson for today’s Europeans who think they can buy off Iran and the Muslims by offering them incentives, membership of the WTO, Trade Pacts, etc to make them give up the pursuit of Nuclear Weapons. The Muslims (in Iran) care two hoots for the Trade treaties which the Europeans are offering them, or for membership of the WTO. The Iranians as Muslims cannot be bought (or brought to their senses) by offering them economic prosperity. They will use these negotiations for buying time till the nuclear weapons and delivery systems are ready and then strike at the West, beginning with Israel, i.e. if the Israelis do not destroy the Iranian nukes before that, which we fervently hope the Israelis do.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">We also see how the Muslims can stoop to any level of deception to defeat and exterminate the non-Muslims following their Doctrine of Deception and Subterfuge (Taqiya) which is deeply ingrained in the Muslim culture and psyche. The status of the Infidels is well documented in the Qur'an and Hadith.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">Deceiving the infidel Kafirs (non-Muslims) by any means to gain an advantage is sanctioned by the Qur'an and supported in the Hadith. Trusting a fundamentalist Muslim is like trusting a Nazi during WWII or a Communist during the Cold War, but only worse as the Muslims are infinitely blood-thirsty as compared with the Commies or the Nazis.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">Muslims believe they are under a mandate from some divine allah to kill kafirs (non-Muslims). Islam as theology-inspired terrorism is on a much stronger psychological foundation than just a political philosophy as was Communism or a ultra-Nationalism as was Nazism. So if allow the Muslims to deceive us, they will win and civilization will be lost forever. So in the war on terror, it is our death or that of the Muslims. The choice is clear, and we need to outwit them in the use of Taqiya (also spelt as Tequiya, Taqiya or Taqiyyah).</font></p>
<p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">The capture of Alexandria by deception</font></b></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">When Umar the gangster chieftain whom the Muslims call Khalifah (Caliph), received the report of Amr bin Al-Aas about the conquest of Babylon he advised Amr to wipe out Kufr (non-Muslim religious belief) from Egypt entirely. He ordered Amr to go on to capture the port city of Alexandria (which the Muslims re-named Iskandariya).</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">When the Muslims appeared before Alexandria in March 641, the city was heavily fortified. There were walls behind walls, and forts within forts. The Byzantine force within the city numbered 50,000 while the strength of the invading Muslim force was over 100,000. There was also no dearth of provisions and food supply in the city. The city had direct access to the sea, and through the sea route help from Constantinople in men and material could come any time. As Amr surveyed the military situation, he felt that Alexandria would be a hard nut to crack. The Byzantines had high stakes in Alexandria, and they were determined to offer stiff resistance to the Muslims as this was the last Byzantine held city in Egypt after the fall of Babylon, Heliopolis, Bilbeis and Farma.</font></p>
<center><p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">__________________________________</font></b></p>
<p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2"><img height="466" src="http://historyofjihad.org/egypt9.jpg" width="324"/></font></b></p>
<p><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">Lessons from the Battle of Babylon for the Americans and Europeans of today</font></b></p>
</center>
<p class="SmallLink"><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">During the negotiations, Maqauqas had offered an amount of 100 diners to each Commander, and one thousand diners to the Caliph. But the Muslim negotiator Ubada scornfully told Maqauqas that the Muslims could not be bought with gold which anyway would all be theirs after they had taken the city by force. He added that if they died in the battle, they would get paradise. This holds a lesson for today’s Europeans who think they can buy off Iran and the Muslims by offering them incentives, membership of the WTO, Trade Pacts, etc to make them give up the pursuit of Nuclear Weapons. The Muslims (in Iran) care two hoots for the Trade treaties which the Europeans are offering them, or for membership of the WTO. The Iranians as Muslims cannot be bought (brought to their senses) by offering them economic prosperity. They will use these negotiations for buying time till the nuclear weapons and delivery systems are ready and then strike at the West, beginning with Israel, i.e. if the Israelis do not destroy the Iranian nukes before that.</font></b></p>
<center><p></p>
</center>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">But despite the strong and skillful defenses of Alexandria, Amr boasted that in spite of the heavy odds the Muslims would be able to conquer the city by using subterfuge. The insidious Muslim brutes accordingly decided to lay siege to the city. The Byzantine Christian defenders mounted catapults on the walls of the city, and these engines pounded the Muslims with boulders to which was tied burning straw and Naphtha (the origins of a weapon fashioned later called Greek Fire). This caused considerable damage to the Muslims and Amr ordered his men back from the advance positions near the walls so that they might be beyond the range of these missiles. A see-saw war followed. When the Muslims tried to go close to the city they were pounded with missiles. And when the Muslim retreated away from the Walls of the fort, the Byzantines sallied from the fort to attack, although they were invariably beaten back by the Muslims.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">Heraclius, the Byzantine emperor collected a large reinforcement at Constantinople. He intended to sail at the head of this reinforcement personally to Alexandria. But before he could finalize the arrangements he died. The reinforcements mustered at Constantinople dispersed, and no significant help came to Alexandria.</font></p>
</div> Videos On Persecution of Coptstag:4freedoms.com,2009-09-14:3766518:Topic:5032009-09-14T00:20:42.000ZNetconhttp://4freedoms.com/profile/Netcon
<object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/36TNd3c0K8Q&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="false"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="never"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="never" height="340" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/36TNd3c0K8Q&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" wmode="opaque"></embed> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param></object>
<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/36TNd3c0K8Q&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="never"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/36TNd3c0K8Q&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="never" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>
<br />
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_D1WhNwN5qk&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="never"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_D1WhNwN5qk&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="never" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
<br />
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SpOKKjaTAKQ&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="never"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SpOKKjaTAKQ&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="never" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>