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Labour MP Choudhary – TV 3 60 minutes anti-Islam agenda

Dear Dr Choudhary,

Thank you for your explanation of the 60 minutes interview. I will post your explanation on my site. You are correct in saying that the Koran (or Qu’ran) does not say precisely that homosexuals should be stoned, but the hadith sayings (attributed to Mohammad) do enjoin capital punishment on homosexuals.

There are four hadith (sayings attributed to the Prophet Muhammad) which refer to homosexuality including: "When a man mounts another man, the throne of God shakes" - Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him); "Kill the one that is doing it and also kill the one that it is being done to." (in reference to intercourse) - Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him); and "Cursed are those men who wear women's clothing and those women who wear men's clothing." - Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

The Koran does, however, give tacit approval to the death of the homosexuals of Sodom and Gomorrah, as does the Old Testament.

What the interviewer should have asked you is do you recognize the Hadith as coming from Mohammed and justifying killing homosexuals?

So, I would like to ask you some questions please, because your “clarification” contains element of ambiguity. Can you please tell me:

Do you agree that Mohammad passed on the hadith which enjoins the killing of homosexuals and that Mohammed justifies killing of homoseuxals? Was Mohammad wrong? You seem to disagree with him by denouncing capital punishment. Do you agree that the homosexuals in Lot’s day were justly killed by God?

What is you proof that the TV 3 producer had a “hidden agenda to malign Islam”, and how did he malign Islam? When you were asked about the Koran’s teaching about homosexuals concerning stoning, why did you not protest that the Koran does not teach that?

(I assume that either you believed it sanctioned the killing of homosexuals, or you just were not familiar enough with the Koran to deny that the Koran explicitly enjoined the stoning of homosexuals – which one was it?” When you swore on the Koran when you entered parliament, did you not approve of the following?

Muhammad’s teaching that the husband may beat his disobedient wife (Koran: Sura 4, "Women," verse 34)? His belief that he was to "make war on the unbelievers…, and deal sternly with them" (Koran: Sura 66, "Prohibition," verse 9; see also Sura 8, "Spoils of War," verses 13-17; Sura 9 [virtually a declaration of war against unbelievers], "Repentance," verse 14)?

Or Mohammad’s fixation on the eternal fire awaiting the Jew and the Christian, and the sensual paradise of sexual pleasure that awaits the Muslim (Koran: Sura 36)? Do you agree that Mohammad and the Koran is correct that all Jews and Christians will go to hell?

Are you prepared to state publicly to all Muslim men in New Zealand that conducting a Jihad against the infidel will not give them entry into the paradise of sexual pleasure as taught in the Koran?

I look forward to your reply and will place these questions on my site also.

Kind Regards, Dr. Garnet Milne.

-----Original Message-----
From: Gunda Tente [mailto:Gunda.Tente@parliament.govt.nz]
Sent: Thursday, 14 July 2005 1:22 p.m.
To: reformed@reformationtestimony.org.nz
Subject: 60 Minutes

14 July 2005

Dear Garnet Milne

I have received your email regarding my recent interview on 60 minute programme on TV3.

Let me clarify. I never said that homosexuals should be stoned. I hope you read my follow-up statement in the media saying that I abhor the idea and practice of stoning of homosexuals anywhere.

What I said was that I accept what the Quran says. The holy Quran does not state anywhere at all about the stoning of homosexuals. In fact what the Quran says about homosexuality is exactly what the Bible says (please read Genesis). If you have read the Bible you will notice that the Bible is a lot more explicit and detailed than the Quran regarding the people of the Prophet Lot.

I am not in the business of condemning the Quran, Bible or any other holy book. Believers of these holy Books believe these to be the divine word of God. On the contrary, I have my personal views about certain issues but who am I to condemn these books, or people’s beliefs.

Personally, I am totally opposed to the stoning or capital punishment; the latter is regretfully still practised in some Eastern and Western countries.

After the TV programme was telecast we realised the programme interviewer and producer had a prior hidden agenda to malign Islam. The programme edited out most of the one hour interview they did with me and totally ignored other interviewee’s specific views. Some people are already considering taking these concerns to the Broadcasting Standards Authority.

For your information I have promoted peace and harmony among people all my life and totally accept diversity of views. How can I accept stoning of homosexuals when I voted for the recently passed Civil Union Bill. This should tell you something about my views on human rights of all minorities including recent migrants and all ethnic communities.

I trust this brief explanation of my views put your heart and mind at peace.

Yours sincerely

Dr Ashraf Choudhary QSO Member of Parliament

ENDS

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