Joseph1013's Posts

Nairaland Forum › Joseph1013's Profile › Joseph1013's Posts

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ... 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 (of 184 pages)

Sports › Re: Flying Eagles Of Nigeria Thread: U-20 World Cup (South Korea 2017) by joseph1013(op): 9:50am On Nov 26, 2015

[b][size=14pt]AS ROMA SADIQ UMAR TO LEAD NEW FLYING EAGLES[/size]

https://www.giallorossi.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/primavera-sadiq-umar.jpg

AS Roma 18 year old forward Sadiq Umar will headline the list of foreign based players invited to the Nigeria Under-20 team ahead of the qualifying series for 2017 Africa Youth Championship in Zambia.

Umar who made his debut last week for AS Roma in the Serie A has so far scored 13 goals with the B team of AS Roma and will be included in the list alongside his teammate Nura Abdullahi the right full back who is on the radar of Spanish giants Barcelona.

The foreign based players Mowizsoccer gathered will all be in camp next year as Coach Manu Garba draws up plans ahead of the qualifying series where he is also expected to include some members of the victorious Nigeria Under-17 of 2015.

Zambia will host the 2017 Africa Under-20 championship where Nigeria will be hoping to defend their 2015 crown won in Senegal.

Manu Garba who came under pressure following his team poor showing at the last World Youth Championship in New Zealand is yet to decide if some players still within the age limit from his former U-20 and 17 team will be included in the team.

However speculations still remains that Zahradeen Bello who was at the last U-20 championship and presently with the Nigeria Under-23 team ahead of the Olympic qualifiers will captain the team.

http://mowizsoccer..nl/2015/11/as-roma-sadiq-umar-to-lead-new-flying.html?m=1[/b]

Investment › Re: Nigerian Stock Exchange Market Pick Alerts by joseph1013: 7:46am On Nov 26, 2015

2 Likes

Sports › Re: Flying Eagles Of Nigeria Thread: U-20 World Cup (South Korea 2017) by joseph1013(op): 10:36am On Nov 25, 2015

[b][size=14pt]SPURS TO RELEASE MUSA YAHAYA IN JANUARY[/size]

https://level3.soccerladuma.net/cms2/image_manager/uploads/News/194175/7/default.jpg

English Premiership side Tottenham Hotspurs won't be offering Nigeria youth international,Musa Yahaya professional contract after a breakdown in talks.

Investigations by Mowizsoccer has it that the 17 year old who is presently in Kaduna was a victim of disagreements between his nursery team Mutunchi Academy and his agent Babawo Mohammed.

The Mutunchi Academy prospect who was expected to be offered professional contract when he turns 18 next year will now be released as controversies continue to trail his move to Tottenham Hotspurs.

Tottenham Hotspurs who were neck deep in talks with his agent Babawo Mohammed but were forced to pull the plug on the deal after his nursery team Mutunchi alleged the agent was trying to dupe them.

An Under-17 World cup winner with Nigeria in 2013,Yahaya have been training with Spurs reserve team the last one year but have been in Kaduna,Nigeria since Nigeria elimination from the Under-20 World cup this year.

The Kaduna born forward is now reportedly drumming interest from Spanish La-Liga side Celta Vigo as Spurs have made it clear he won't be retained.

However his nursery team Muntunchi are still going to be paid the balance of the fee they are owed by Spurs which was supposed to be paid when he turns 18 next year.

http://mowizsoccer..nl/2015/11/spurs-to-release-musa-yahaya-in-january.html?m=1[/b]

1 Like

Sports › Re: Super Eagles Of Nigeria Thread: 2017 AFCON Qualifiers. by joseph1013: 10:21am On Nov 25, 2015

Let's hear from Guardiola himself

Guardiola: Mourinho is the best

Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola says that rival Jose Mourinho is 'the best coach in the world' after claiming that you do not need to have played the game to be a great manager.

Real Madrid's Mourinho never played at a high-level, while Guardiola enjoyed a distinguished playing career in midfield for Barcelona and also represented Spain.

However, Guardiola believes that a great boss is not necessarily carved out during a playing career and revealed his admiration for his great rival.

"It is not necessary to have played football to become a great coach," Guardiola explained. "[Arrigo] Sacchi changed this sport without having played, while Mourinho is probably the best coach in the world.

"To have been in dressing rooms before can help in certain situations, but to not have been can also have advantages."

Guardiola also said that he hoped he would be allowed to choose when he retired from management, rather than being sacked.

"When I was a player I knew the moment when I could not give any more at the same level," he added. "It was when I felt tired and I know that as a trainer the same thing will happen. I know that day will come when I am tired of it and I will leave.

"I hope that day comes because normally in the life of a coach they sack you before that because you lose games. At the moment I can choose, but I know that it will not always be like this. If I lose then they will kick me out."

1 Like

Sports › Re: Super Eagles Of Nigeria Thread: 2017 AFCON Qualifiers. by joseph1013: 10:14am On Nov 25, 2015

Some of Mourinho's annihilation of opponents

2010–11 Season
6–1 victory over Deportivo La Coruña

4-1 victory over Malaga

6–1 over Racing Santander

4–0 over Ajax

8–0 against Levante

3–0 over Ajax

1 Like 1 Share

Sports › Re: Super Eagles Of Nigeria Thread: 2017 AFCON Qualifiers. by joseph1013: 9:56am On Nov 25, 2015*

BlackAlbino6:
[color=#000000]
Wao!!! Even as a Chelsea fan, I never had the courage to dig that deep into the man's rich CV.
Actually Jose Mourinho is not overrated, though I still yearn for a more exiting play pattern from him.
[/color]

The thing is, you don't need to play an exciting pattern to be a great coach. Infact, FourFourTwo, one of the World top football magazines, rates Mourinho as the best coach in the World for of 2015. See what they have to say about him:

[size=14pt]FourFourTwo's 50 Best Football Managers in the World 2015: No.1[/size]

15 July 2015
https://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03442/Jose_Mourinho-Tel_3442748b.jpg

Without further ado, the best manager in world football profiled by Nick Ames...

They say never go back, but it’s as if Jose Mourinho was never away. Since returning to Stamford Bridge two summers ago, the Portuguese has proved that he is forged from everything that makes the Premier League such a compelling spectacle both on the pitch and beyond it.
Nobody, perhaps with the exception of Sir Alex Ferguson, has matched Mourinho's ability to hold opponents in his thrall regardless of the circumstances. The 52-year-old is a master of calling the tune, whether through the way he sets out his team or how he goads even the mildest-mannered of opponents – witness Manuel Pellegrini during the last campaign – into losing any psychological battle. Last season was the perfect example of his gifts.

Master of the procession
Chelsea began the season playing arguably the best football of any side Mourinho has managed. The Portuguese has sometimes been chided for his pragmatism, his willingness to win three points via the most straightforward route possible. But the summer signing of Cesc Fabregas pointed at a new direction and the team set a blistering pace, its dazzling midfield combinations invariably being finished off by another new signing, striker Diego Costa.

“Mourinho's side always did enough, even if it wasn’t pretty, but then Mourinho's sides always do
As injuries and suspensions began to bite in winter, Mourinho changed tack. A 5-3 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur seemed to sting him: Chelsea were noticeably more cautious after the turn of the year, with Costa struggling for fitness and Fabregas tiring, but their results remained by and large the same.

Mourinho's side always did enough, even if it wasn’t pretty, but then Mourinho's sides always do – and perhaps the flagship game for that approach was the 1-0 home win over Manchester United on April 18 that virtually guaranteed them the title. "This is a game we will never lose. Never," he told Eden Hazard in the build-up, and so it proved as Chelsea, despite seeing just 30% of the ball, executed their gameplan perfectly.

Chelsea's apparent conservatism drew criticism in the season's final weeks but it seemed patently unfair. In fact, it was simply evidence of Mourinho's remarkable ability to adapt to circumstances and secure results – something that he has done throughout his career. Witness his Champions League title with Inter Milan in 2010, when Mourinho decided that his team would be more dangerous without the ball than with it against Guardiola-era Barcelona, and promptly walked away with an against-all-odds semi-final victory.

Euro sceptics
Chelsea will be overwhelming favourites to push on and make others bend to Mourinho's will again in the 2015/16 campaign, although there are question marks beyond the debate about style. Mourinho's relationship with Roman Abramovich, which decayed to the point of his departure from his first stint at Chelsea in 2008, has looked healthier than ever but there will be those who wonder what the owner's decision to let long-serving goalkeeper Petr Cech join Arsenal – clearly against the manager's will – might do if the Gunners put a challenge together.

There’s also the thorny issue of Europe: if a run to the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2013/14 was fine, defeat to 10-man Paris Saint-Germain two rounds earlier last season was not and vast improvement will be expected this time.

If Mourinho finds his back against the wall, there are always those duels against other managers to win. The usually calm Pellegrini, whose job Mourinho effectively took when he was appointed at Real Madrid in 2010, could be found grumbling about him well after last season ended, accusing him of wanting "to take credit for everything" when Chelsea win and professing to "differ from him on all fronts". Pellegrini had accused Chelsea of playing like a "small team" in a 1-1 draw at the Etihad in September but it felt, and still feels, as if he had fallen into Mourinho's favourite trap.

Nobody plays the relentless, 24/7 Premier League soap opera like Mourinho, who has a habit of provoking fury in his rivals with a few well-chosen words that set media bandwagons rolling while he remains impervious. He is his own best spin doctor, too, as an appearance on Sky Sports’ Goals on Sunday programme the day after Nemanja Matic's red card against Burnley showed in February. Every motion is calculated for maximum effect.

Jose Mourinho in the Champions League
Beating Barca in 2010, losing to Liverpool in the Champions League in 2007 and that Porto 1-1 draw at Old Trafford
You win some, you win some
“
Nobody plays the relentless, 24/7 Premier League soap opera like Mourinho
None of that will change next season and perhaps Mourinho will even find himself in a closer battle, in the league and in the newspapers, against Arsene Wenger, who has never defeated him and with whom there is no love lost.
Regardless of the match-up, it is impossible to bet against a manager who has won eight league titles with four different clubs in the last 12 years. For all that ‘philosophies’ are deemed desirable in up-and-coming managers today, Mourinho lives by the one that really counts. His philosophy is purely to win – and he has rarely done anything else.

Tactics corner (by Michael Cox)
Jose Mourinho always trains his side primarily in two different systems, allowing him to switch quickly and easily for specific purposes. At Porto and in his first spell with Chelsea it was 4-3-1-2 and 4-3-3, then with Inter it was 4-3-1-2 and 4-2-3-1, before 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 at Real Madrid and upon his return to Stamford Bridge.

That summarises Mourinho’s approach: he’s flexible and reacts according to the demands of individual matches, but he’s also highly organised and there’s little doubt his teams will be well prepared for the task in hand.

Mourinho has often faced accusations of being defensive, and he’s generally cautious in big games. However, some of his sides – particularly Real Madrid – have been rampant against weaker opposition. Perhaps a more accurate criticism is that his teams rely too much upon direct, counter-attacking play.

Mourinho hasn’t revolutionised football in a stylistic sense. Instead, he’s simply a master of carrying out standard tactics with devastating efficiency at exactly the right times – and, in that sense, he’s a very astute tactician.

Read more at http://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/fourfourtwos-50-best-football-managers-world-2015-no1#zIoJ7FXi2W5MwMDy.99

If you say Mouriinho does not destroy teams but only go by with slim 1-0,2-1 margins, how do you account for the fact that he won by seriously wide margins while he was in Madrid. Infact, the margins were so great that he has the record for the most goals and most points in La Liga history. To put that into perspective, that is the league that Guardiola was for 5 years, and in which the Greatest player ever, Messi, who continues to break insane records, continues to play in.

It's even more interesting because coaches that people hail as attacking coaches like Guardiola, Cruyff, Ancelotti, Bosque, Manuel Pellegrini, Bernd Schuster, Fabio Capello, Carlos Queiroz, Guus Hiddink, Jupp Heynckes, Frank Rijkaard, Louis van Gaal, Bobby Robson, Luis Aragonés, etc have all coached in Spain, yet none of them come close to that amazing record.

Enough said!

1 Like 1 Share

Sports › Re: Super Eagles Of Nigeria Thread: 2017 AFCON Qualifiers. by joseph1013: 9:34am On Nov 25, 2015*

BlackAlbino6:
am enjoying the heated arguments from the legendary football followers and historians. Great work Sirs.

Even as a Barca fan, I decided not to wade into the argument when I read that Mourinho is overrated. Shuo!

Check these records out:

Porto
Primeira Liga: 2002–03, 2003–04
Taça de Portugal: 2002–03
Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2003
UEFA Champions League: 2003–04
UEFA Cup: 2002–03

Chelsea
Premier League: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2014–15
FA Cup: 2006–07
Football League Cup: 2004–05, 2006–07, 2014–15
FA Community Shield: 2005

Inter Milan
Serie A: 2008–09, 2009–10
Coppa Italia: 2009–10
Supercoppa Italiana: 2008
UEFA Champions League: 2009–10

Real Madrid
La Liga: 2011–12
Copa del Rey: 2010–11
Supercopa de España: 2012

Individual
Onze d'Or Coach of the Year: 2005, 2010
FIFA World Coach of the Year: 2010
IFFHS World's Best Club Coach: 2004, 2005, 2010, 2012
Primeira Liga Manager of the Year: 2002–03, 2003–04
Premier League Manager of the Year: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2014–15
Premier League Manager of the Month: November 2004, January 2005, March 2007
Serie A Manager of the Year: 2008–09, 2009–10
Albo Panchina d'Oro: 2009–10
Miguel Muñoz Trophy: 2010–11, 2011–12
UEFA Manager of the Year: 2002–03, 2003–04
UEFA Team of the Year: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010
World Soccer Magazine World Manager of the Year: 2004, 2005, 2010
LPFP Awards Best Portuguese Manager in Foreign Countries: 2008–09, 2009–10
BBC Sports Personality of the Year Coach Award: 2005
La Gazzetta dello Sport Man of the Year: 2010
International Sports Press Association Best Manager in the World: 2010
Prémio Prestígio Fernando Soromenho: 2012
Football Extravaganza's League of Legends (2011)

Nobody, I repeat nobody, can amaze this collection of trophy and not be a tactical genius!

1 Like

Sports › Re: Super Eagles Of Nigeria Thread: 2017 AFCON Qualifiers. by joseph1013: 8:27pm On Nov 24, 2015

justiz5:

The guy's football comments too de make sense.

His situational analysis are always a top notch.
He is one football or sports analyst I have found to be unbiased, no matter what in his analysis.

He is my best football writer in Nigeria, though I will say that if alot of us in this house choose to become career football journalists, we will give them a run for their money. Most of them are very lazy. Solace is a breath of fresh air.

2 Likes

Christianity Etc › Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013(op): 6:36pm On Nov 24, 2015*

[b]LEAVE ISLAM, AND BECOME A CHRISTIAN? REALLY huh

I have a friend who left Islam because he could no longer reconcile the cruel ideology of Islam with the love for his fellow humans. For the few Christians who know him as an apostate, they always urge him to turn to Christianity. And I have always wondered the logic behind that.

You want this guy to choose Christianity over rationality and logic?

I'm not sure how the idea of God having His Son (who is actually Himself) tortured and killed in order to protect everyone from what He Himself would do to any of them if they didn't embrace Him, only to resurrect Himself after being dead for a weekend, is even remotely appealing to literate adult minds.

Most of these people who left Islam did it because they prefer reality and free thought, not imbecilic myths about virgin births and talking snakes (which exist in Islam as well).

Leaving Islam to embrace Christianity or Judaism is like dropping your belief in fairies to take up belief in unicorns.[/b]

6 Likes 2 Shares

Sports › Re: Super Eagles Of Nigeria Thread: 2017 AFCON Qualifiers. by joseph1013: 9:40am On Nov 24, 2015

Damn!!! Solace Chukwu is gangsta!

2 Likes

Christianity Etc › Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013(op): 4:59pm On Nov 23, 2015*

YAHWEH vs OLODUMARE

Fact:
Yahweh said let there be light. And there was light. Then he created heaven and earth. He then made Adam from the dust of the earth and made Eve, his wife, from his rib. He breathe life into them.

Myth:
Olodumare sent Orunmila to the earth from his abode in heaven on a chain with a Cockerell and a handful of sand. When Orunmila got to earth, its surface was covered with the water of the oceans. He sprinkled the sand on a spot and let the Cockerell spread it with its feet. From this spot, which is at Ile Ife, dry land spread to the rest of the world.

Then Obatala moulded humans from sand and Olodumare gave them life after they had received their destinies.

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

3 Likes

Sports › Re: All The News About The Olympic Eagles (U-23) HERE! by joseph1013(op): 4:54pm On Nov 21, 2015

If NFF expects Granada to release Success at this time, they are kidding. No foreign player will be released for the tournament. You expect players in the middle of the Season, outside FIFA window to come? Funny. Even the ones sanctioned by FIFA, Clubs are still grumbling.

Christianity Etc › Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013(op): 9:09pm On Nov 20, 2015*

If you're in Nigeria and you're no god-believer or just inquisitive, please join us.

2 Likes 1 Share

Sports › Re: Super Eagles Of Nigeria Thread: 2017 AFCON Qualifiers. by joseph1013: 9:30am On Nov 20, 2015

TheGoodJoe:
I repeat, you can not judge a coach as being tactically brilliant from set pieces but from the goals scored in open play.

Free kicks can win games for a sound coach. But, a tactically brilliant coach delivers from open play.

For instance, Coach Westerhof believes we should beat teams like Swaziland with 6 to 7 goals. You can not achieve that with free kicks but with sound tactical approach.

Can you get us matches where Westerhoff's Eagles won by 7-0 against lowly African oppositions?

2 Likes

Christianity Etc › Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013(op): 8:27am On Nov 20, 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDwr8Ptq3gc

Sports › Re: Super Eagles Of Nigeria Thread: 2017 AFCON Qualifiers. by joseph1013: 8:26am On Nov 20, 2015

TheGoodJoe:
I am not saying Coach Oliseh is not tactically brilliant. I am pointing out that we can not judge a coach as tactically brilliant from set pieces. It is the goals scored in open play that we equate to tactical brilliant play.

You do not think that the manner of execution shows tactical brilliance? The manner the free-kicks from the games with Cameroun and Swaziland were scored showed some striking resemblance. It's even more striking because they were played by two different players (Mikel, Igboun), yet you'd think it was the same person if you dont take a closer look. I dont think it's luck. I say that was perfected in their training sessions.

1 Like 1 Share

Sports › Re: Super Eagles Of Nigeria Thread: 2017 AFCON Qualifiers. by joseph1013: 7:58am On Nov 20, 2015

TheGoodJoe:
Contrary, I do not see scoring from set pieces as the height of brilliant coaching. I use Guardiola as a standard model for understanding brilliant coaching. Not Mourinho who I think Coach Oliseh adores.

Most of Guardiola's goals come from creative team play. Goals from open play.

Celebrating set pieces as the height of tactics is not a sign of brilliance.

Look at this video to understand what I mean.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=helPJ9Eo0Po

Did you watch the friendly against Cameroon? You will see the potential for us to score team goals in that match. We score two fantastic goals with vital team movements. Is it a fluke? I don't know, however Oliseh attributed that performance to the length of time they were together in training.

Set pieces are vital. There are many important games where matches are won just via set pieces. That's the way football is. Make every opportunity to make the est use of the opportunity that presents itself to you.

If we play 20 games and we scored zero goals from free kicks with one coach, and then with a new coach, we play 3 matches and we have 3 goals from free kicks, it is simply rational to know that the new coach is deliberately setting his team up to be dangerous in set pieces. That is not luck That takes careful planning.

1 Like

Christianity Etc › Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013(op): 7:49am On Nov 20, 2015

[b]RELIGIOUS FAITH IS A VIRUS, NOT A VIRTUE

‪#‎PrayForParis‬? Well-intentioned, but it's obvious that the other side prayed harder.

To add to a famous quote from Martin Luther King, Jr.*: "Delusional superstition cannot drive out delusional superstition; Only reason can do that."

Religious faith is a virus, not a virtue. You can't ban it or bomb it away. But don't hold back from speaking up against it just because it's considered "disrespectful." There's nothing more disrespectful than the way the Quran and Bible endorse violence and slavery, or speak about non-believers, women, and the LGBT. If I wrote the same things these books say on a blog today, you wouldn't be looking to find "context" or "interpretation" in my writing to make it sound palatable to you. You'd be ripping me apart and calling me out on my hate speech.

And hate speech doesn't suddenly become "respectable" once you put it in a holy book. It should be called out whether it's in the KKK manifesto, Mein Kampf, the Quran, or the Old Testament.

Stop sending prayers, and start talking honestly about the REAL root problem. You know what it is -- deep down, all of you do. If you don't, what you saw in Paris, Beirut, Peshawar, Mosul, etc, absolutely WILL happen again, and it'll get worse every time.

Abrahamic religions are inherently totalitarian and very effective in manipulating the masses; this is why even atheist mass murderers like Stalin modeled their ideologies so closely on them. They started by presenting themselves as victims fighting the wrongs of the universe. Presenting yourself as a victim makes all your atrocious actions seem justified, because you're fighting for "justice" and what's "righteous" -- you can make everything look okay. This is what deep religious faith can make people feel like.

Consider this excerpt from George Orwell's review of Hitler's Mein Kampf in 1940:

---
"....The fact is that there is something deeply appealing about [Hitler]. One feels it again when one sees his photographs -- and I recommend especially the photograph at the beginning of Hurst and Blackett’s edition, which shows Hitler in his early Brownshirt days. It is a pathetic, dog-like face, the face of a man suffering under intolerable wrongs. In a rather more manly way it reproduces the expression of innumerable pictures of Christ crucified, and there is little doubt that that is how Hitler sees himself. The initial, personal cause of his grievance against the universe cah only be guessed at; but at any rate the grievance is here. He is the martyr, the victim, Prometheus chained to the rock, the self-sacrificing hero who fights single-handed against impossible odds. If he were killing a mouse he would know how to make it seem like a dragon. One feels, as with Napoleon, that he is fighting against destiny, that he can’t win, and yet that he somehow deserves to. The attraction of such a pose is of course enormous; half the films that one sees turn upon some such theme."
---

The parallels are familiar, and obvious. This is the kind of thing that regressive leftists so often fall for. A few weeks ago when he was in Toronto, Salman Rushdie told Alishba that the liberal left has been on the wrong side of history on two major things: communism and free speech. I think most of us learned our lesson too late on the first. But it's not yet too late to do so on the second.

So please, speak up. No idea, book, or religion is ever sacred enough to put the lives of innocent human beings on the line.

---
*Yes, I know MLK Jr. was a reverend. Even brilliant men can get some things horribly wrong.

- Ali A. Rizvi[/b]

Sports › Re: Super Eagles Of Nigeria Thread: 2017 AFCON Qualifiers. by joseph1013: 2:06pm On Nov 19, 2015

Who else noticed that we now score consistently from set pieces? 6 games, 4 goals from set pieces. If this does not impress you, it does me. I praise Oliseh for that.

1 Like

Sports › Re: Super Eagles Of Nigeria Thread: 2017 AFCON Qualifiers. by joseph1013: 1:56pm On Nov 19, 2015

[b][size=14pt]I’ll Sweep Nigeria’s Sports Sector Clean Of Corruption – Dalong[/size]

https://leadership.ng/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Mr-Solomon-Dalong-300x208.jpg

The Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Solomon Dalong, has continued to read the riot to act to corrupt persons in the sporting world, as he has vowed to fight corruption in the sports sector, “with everything” he has.

The determined minister, who was speaking at a seminar organized by the FCT chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) to mark the SWAN Week at the National Stadium, Abuja, yesterday, described corruption as a “great cancer crippling the growth of Nigeria in sports”.

Dalong, who promised to step on toes in the execution of his duties, warned sports administrators, writers, coaches and athletes alike to desist from their corrupt tendencies or face the law.

He expressed appreciation to the leadership of the FCT chapter of SWAN for championing and playing critical role in the development of sports in the country and challenged administrators to live up to their responsibilities, in order to help sports development in the country.

He said his administration is open to constructive criticism. “I operate from a rough environment but now that I am in a comfort zone, if there is no criticism I will be tempted to believe that something is wrong.

“I should be criticised; not because I am Solomon Dalong, but, because in my capacity as a decision-maker, I made decisions not in the best interest of Nigeria. The bad thing is where no decision is taken. However, if you see the need to publish, you must have my own side of the story. If you accuse me of anything, then you must have your facts straight. If you seek to be mischievous or blackmail me, we will call the law to help us sort it all out,” he advised the gathering of sports writers.

Dalong appealed to the sporting press to appreciate the present administration’s change ideology and seat up to their responsibility of holding leaders accountable.

“If the association does not seat up, then it can also be blamed for the problems in the sports sector.

“If you call yourself a whistle-blower, are you blowing the whistle in respect to the corruption in sports or because you are a beneficiary? Your searchlight should not be limited to the minister and administrators alone, but on some of you who have been bought by questionable interests.

“I want us to fight corruption in this industry, because the stories of corruption in sports, particularly football, are alarming and discouraging. For me, I’ll do my best to stem out corruption from sports. I have appealed to the NSCDG and other directors that nobody should come near my house with ‘pregnant’ envelopes, with the intention to bribe me. You cannot misappropriate funds meant for sports and disgrace this country at international competitions and you come in the night as minister to bribe me with the money or buy house for me to keep quiet. Sports is a unifying factor, which brings this nation together and it is the corruption of the administrators that have frustrated many young people into getting involved in other means of livelihood, because the sports which they love so much have been messed up by corrupt people.

“I’ll not receive bribes and questionable gifts, because I will invite the law to reconcile you and me on that type of visit or gift,” he warned.[/b]

2 Likes

Sports › Re: Super Eagles Of Nigeria Thread: 2017 AFCON Qualifiers. by joseph1013: 1:54pm On Nov 19, 2015

[b][size=14pt]Mikel still important to Eagles[/size]

https://encomium.ng/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Obi-Mikel_1200224.jpg

Nigeria national team head coach, Sunday Oliseh has moved to quell speculations that Sunshine Stars star, Paul Onobi is heir apparent to Chelsea midfielder, John Mikel Obi.

Mikel was surprisingly dropped from the Nigeria siude that beat Swaziland 2-0 in a World Cup qualifier in Port Harcourt on Tuesday but Oliseh says Onobi did not take the place of the Chelsea superstar.

He added that “nobody has a fixed spot in this team” as he continues his rebuilding process with the three-time African champions.

.
“What I feel about Onobi is that he’s a home star.

“I said it from the onset that I don’t care of you play at home or abroad.

“If you are good enough and you can adapt to the tactics that we play, we will do it.

“I am glad that the whole world has witnessed a vindication of that policy that I will always adhere to.

“He’s solid. He’s strong on the man (tackle). He’s solid. He’s clairvoyant and one thing I like about him is that he’s very hungry.

“And that’s what we need now.

“However, I must use this medium to state that Onobi did not play at the expense of (Mikel).

“Nobody has a fixed spot in this team,” he said.

“Oliseh’s record as Nigeria coach in competitive matches is near perfect as he is yet to lose a single game since taking over from Stephen Keshi in July.

http://www.supersport.com/football/super-eagles/news/151119/Mikel_still_important_to_Eagles[/b]

2 Likes

Sports › Re: Super Eagles Of Nigeria Thread: 2017 AFCON Qualifiers. by joseph1013: 1:51pm On Nov 19, 2015

[b][size=14pt]Westerhof: Oliseh Can’t Take Eagles To 2018 World Cup[/size]

https://www.vanguardngr.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Clemens-Westerhof.jpg

Former Super Eagles coach, Clemens Westerhof, has raised the alarm that Nigeria stand the risk of not qualifying for the 2018 World Cup to be staged in Russia with Sunday Oliseh in charge.

Westerhof, who guided the Super Eagles to Africa Cup of Nations triumph in Tunisia in 1994 as well as a second round appearance in the 1994 FIFA World Cup debut in the United States of America, said the Super Eagles' start to the qualifiers does not give confidence the team will win the race to Russia.

“Congratulations, you beat Swaziland 2-0 in the return leg match of the preliminary round of the qualifiers,” Westerhof told Complete Sports.

“But does that really call for celebration? Yes, there are no minnows in football but who are Swaziland to hold the Super Eagles to a goalless draw (in Swaziland)?

“The Super Eagles won 2-0 in (Port Harcourt) Nigeria but is it not a game the Super Eagles should be winning 6-0, 7-0 under normal circumstances?. What type of football do they play in Swaziland?”

Reminded that the Super Eagles are undergoing rebuilding following the arrival of a new manager, Sunday Oliseh, to take charge of technical affairs of the team, Westerhof said there’s no sign the team will get better.

“Swaziland is not the first match Super Eagles have played under Oliseh. There has not been any difference between their first game under him and the game with Swaziland.

“I’m sorry, with Oliseh, the Super Eagles may not go to the World Cup in Russia,” Westerhof declared.

http://www.completesportsnigeria.com/westerhof-oliseh-eagles-2018-world-cup/?[/b]

3 Likes

Christianity Etc › Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013(op): 1:38pm On Nov 19, 2015

[b]GRAVEYARD OF THE GODS

The creation of gods has always been an exercise in ignorance, fear and savagery. In our primitive past, the gods controlled the wind, rainfall and sunshine. They were in charge of war, earthquakes, storms, thunder and lightning. Fertility was not bestowed on any woman except by the mercy of some deity. The gods were everywhere… their anger meant famine, drought and destruction; disease and pestilence were theirs for bestowal. The gods were powerful… they controlled our lives!

In order to appease them, sacrifices had to be made; countless millions were slaughtered on the altars of these ancient gods. The people lived in fear, servitude and penury, not knowing who could be next to be sacrificed to a blood thirsty god. Only the kings and priests lived in abundance. They were second only to the gods.

Among the Romans, Jupiter was the King of Kings, the Lord of the gods… virgins were his delight! In the Greek world, Zeus reigned supreme, and could sleep with human maidens at will. Anyone who doubted his puissance became history. To doubt the powers of the gods was to invite death on yourself and family! But who on earth still worships Jupiter today? Who is ignorant enough to pay obeisance to Zeus?

Remember Nergal? The Babylonian god of plague and war. To win his favour, thousands of slaves perished… burnt alive for war fortunes! What about Tezcatlipoca of the Aztecs who consumed twenty-five thousand virgins a year? Name the woman who still revers Tezcatlipoca today, and I will show you a barbarian. Where is the man who, in the twenty-first century, still draws sword in the name of Nergal?

Visit any of the ancient peoples and the story is the same: humans bowed in ignorance and fear before their own imaginative constructs. On the demands of Moloch, the Ammonites wilfully sacrificed countless of their innocent children. The children of ancient Babylon suffered the same fate so that Marduk might be pleased; and whenever there was storm, Adad must be appeased.

Among the ancient Chinese, Yan Wang reigned supreme as god of death. The Egyptians cowed before Horus, their god of war; and sought to please Anuket to keep the Nile flowing. Thousands were laid to waste on the altar of the Sumerian god, the Mighty Anunaki; and among the English, Thor’s voice boomed in storms and thunder.

Again, I ask, is anyone dull-witted enough, stupid enough to worship any of these gods today? These gods once reigned supreme, but have now all fallen into oblivion; fallen from their mighty thrones, from grace into the dustbin of history. In their place have arisen other gods, no less mighty, no less demanding.

The graveyard of the gods awaits the remains of the modern day gods. Our laughter at the ignorance of the ancients foretells the fact that our descendants would look back at today’s humans, and wonder: how could they be so stupid?[/b]

2 Likes 2 Shares

Sports › Re: World Cup Qualifiers: Nigeria May Draw Ghana, Cameroon by joseph1013: 7:32pm On Nov 18, 2015

Icon4s:
Probabily before the slots are drawn:
The probability of being drawn with Ghana is same as being drawn with Cape Verde, Algeria, Senegal or CIV which is =1/5.
Same thing with probability of drawing Cameroun or any other team in pot2 = 1/5.

Now, the probability of drawing both Ghana and Cameroun = 1/5 * 1/5 = 1/25.
That means there is a 4% chance of being drawn with both Ghana and Cameroun.
Ie 4 out of 100 chances. Simply put it is very very unlikely that we are to be drawn with With both Ghana and Cameroun.

At least I still remember some little arithmetics.

One thing is sure: no easy grp. Even if we are paired with Cape Verde, Guinea and Libya which i consider d easiest possible draw for us.

cc: TheSuperNerd, TheGoodJoe, Bascovanveli, safarigirl, terzurum5, joseph1013.

I believe in the Super Eagles. I will whatever the draw gives us. We have good enough players to qualify for the World Cup.

2 Likes

Sports › Re: Super Eagles Of Nigeria Thread: 2017 AFCON Qualifiers. by joseph1013: 6:04pm On Nov 18, 2015

[b][size=14pt]Simon sure of more improvement[/size]

https://level3.soccerladuma.net/cms2/image_manager/uploads/News/205932/7/default.jpg

KAA Gent and Nigeria winger Moses Simon is over the moon with excitement after helping Nigeria qualify for the final round of qualifiers for the Fifa 2018 World Cup to be hosted by Russia.
The Super Eagles defeated Swaziland 2-0 in Port-Harcourt on Tuesday with goals from Simon and Efe Ambrose as Nigeria edged through 2-0 on aggregate after a goalless draw in the first leg in Lobamba.

Incidentally, both players scored for Nigeria in the 3-0 demolition of Cameroun in last month’s friendly in Belgium and they repeated same feat against the Sihlangu with Simon catching the eye with a virtuoso performance at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium.

“It was a very hard game but I’m happy we have qualified for the final round of the qualifier, the hard work starts right now,”Simon told supersport.com

“The Swazi side were really stubborn and disciplined. It was difficult for us to get past their defence especially in the first half.

“It was always going to be a difficult game but we were patient the goals will come and it did come eventually. The coach told us not to panic and follow his instructions which we did and I’m happy we won.

“I give God the glory for the goal but must importantly that we have qualified. I thank Nigerians for their support,”the 20 year old added.

Simon also spoke his free-kick goal which put Nigeria ahead in the game in the 51st minute before Efe Ambrose connected home Sylvester Igbonu’s set piece three minutes before time to set Nigeria on her way.

The former AS Trecin star said he has been practising on various parts of his game and is happy his set pieces are yielding fruits.

“I have been practising set-pieces and I’m happy I was able to pull it off and score the goal. You have to be versatile as a player and I’m a big fan of Cristiano Ronaldo as I always try to learn from him,”Simon explained to supersport.com

“I hit the post with a free-kick in the first leg in Swaziland but I’m glad I hit the target at home. It’s been God’s grace all the way.

“This is not even the time to talk about that goal. It is time to celebrate that Nigeria has qualified, that is the most important thing. We will continue to do our best and by God’s grace we shall succeed.

“I want to thank Port-Harcourt fans for coming out to support the team. I and the other players appreciate them,”he said.

http://www.supersport.com/football/super-eagles/news/151118/Simon_sure_of_more_improvement[/b]

1 Like

Sports › Re: Super Eagles Of Nigeria Thread: 2017 AFCON Qualifiers. by joseph1013: 2:47pm On Nov 18, 2015

[b][size=14pt]Nigeria coach Sunday Oliseh moves pay off in victory vs. Swaziland[/size]

[img]http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i/?img=/photo/2015/1117/r26744_1296x729_16-9.jpg&w=738&site=espnfc[/img]

There was not much routine about the performance, however. Swaziland made life tough for the Super Eagles and even came close to a first half goal. But they were eventually subdued by an excellent free kick from Moses Simon, and Efe Ambrose's late side-footed finish from Sylvester Igbonu's free kick. Here are five points from Tuesday's match:

Oliseh's lineup curveball

After their previous game, one observation was that head coach Sunday Oliseh's team picks itself, in somewhat predictable style. But on Tuesday, Oliseh apparently decided to change things up and threw a massive curveball.

Out went John Obi Mikel, Elderson Echiejile and Godfrey Oboabona from the team which started the first leg. In their place came local players Austin Oboroakpo, Paul Onobi and Chima Akas.

It may have been only Swaziland, and in a home game for that matter, but this was still a huge statement of faith in the local lads and trust in the judgement of Salisu Yusuf, Oliseh's assistant who is responsible for scouting the domestic league.

Simon becoming vital

Until recently, any mention of a Moses in the Super Eagles would immediately evoke images of Chelsea's Victor -- currently on loan at West Ham.

That is rapidly changing. With the England-based forward out to injury, Moses Simon has taken the spot out on the left wing and is rapidly becoming the new darling of Super Eagles fans. Three goals in five games have seen to that. He scored in a friendly against Niger, did the same against Cameroon, then curled in a gorgeous free kick to soothe fraying nerves on Tuesday against Swaziland.

More than that, before he came off injured he ran the Swazi full-backs ragged over two legs and with better supply, could even have done more damage. It is hard to see Victor Moses dislodging him on this form.

Oliseh shows some guts

Oliseh is quickly and consistently showing that "untouchable" is a non-existent word in his coaching dictionary. Not only did he shake up his starting XI by leaving heavyweights like Mikel, Martins, Oboabona, Echiejile and even young starlet Kelechi Iheanacho out of the team, he had no worries starting domestic players.

And when it came to using substitutes, he continued to look the way of the domestic players, throwing on Ezekiel Bassey for the injured Simon.

It takes guts to have four domestic league players on the field ahead of more established foreign-based players, especially in a decisive World Cup qualifier. Oliseh had no hesitation, and they did not let him down. Onobi was a composed shield in front of defence; nothing got past Akas on the left flank; with Oboroakpo, the defence was so steady that Ambrose could afford to lope up the other end and help himself to a goal.

Tempo issues continue

In the end, the result is what mattered, and 2-0 is what was needed. But for large swathes of the game, things looked neither easy nor straightforward as Swaziland camped deep in their own half; the Super Eagles struggled to get behind them, passing was sometimes ragged and ideas lacking in the final third.

Swaziland could have even nicked a goal from a set piece when a free kick found two players looking at an empty net. A better striker would have made it count.

What the Super Eagles need as a matter of urgency is increased tempo and better technique. Slow build up allows deep-lying opposition to organise themselves and get into position and, without a genuine creative or special player, breaking down teams such as this comes down to being able to convert set pieces.

The much-maligned Ambrose still delivering

There's a lot said about Efe Ambrose. Most things are hardly complimentary, but the Celtic defender takes it all in his stride.

Phlegmatic almost to a fault, he is hardly ever flustered. Previously deployed as a right-back, he lost his place with the emergence of Leon Balogun and was left out of Oliseh's early selections.

But with Kenneth Omeruo withdrawing from last month's Belgium friendlies with injury, Ambrose was a late call up, and steadied the ship in that win over Cameroon.

In Swaziland, his timely interventions were critical in covering up errors and he capped it with a goal on Tuesday. It will be more difficult than ever to keep him out of the team now.

http://www.espnfc.us/blog/football-nigeria/206/post/2716356/nigeria-victorious-thanks-to-gutsy-sunday-oliseh-decisions[/b]

1 Like

Sports › Re: Super Eagles Of Nigeria Thread: 2017 AFCON Qualifiers. by joseph1013: 8:01am On Nov 18, 2015

[b][size=14pt]Oliseh: It doesn’t matter if you play at the moon, quality performance is all that matters[/size]

https://punchng.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Onazi.jpg

Nigeria on Tuesday qualified for the group stages of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers with a 2-0 victory over Swaziland. The match was played at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt.

Goals from Moses Simon and Efe Ambrose in the second half of the encounter gave the Super Eagles the needed win against 10-man Swaziland after a goalless first leg in Lobamba on Friday.

The Eagles have thus joined such other countries as Gabon, Ghana, Zambia, Uganda, Guinea, Congo DR, Morocco, Libya, Cameroon, South Africa and Congo in the group stages of the qualifiers. The draw for the final phase will be done next year with qualifiers played between 2016 and 2017.

The top five teams from the group stages, which will have four teams each, will represent the continent in Russia.

Nigeria needed a win against the Swazi, who are ranked 134th in the world, after the first leg ended goalless. Coach Sunday Oliseh, who had expressed confidence about his team’s chances, made five changes to the starting line-up in Lobamba.

Swaziland coach, Harries Bulunga, gave thumbs up to the Nigerian bench for the changes made in the starting line-up. He said the changes affected their game plan.

“The changes the Nigerian coach made to the starting line-up helped them and actually affected our plans. We planned to exploit the slow pattern of the Nigerian midfield but that didn’t work because those who played today were much faster,” Bulunga said.

Oliseh surprisingly dropped Chelsea’s Mikel Obi, preferring to start Sunshine Stars Paul Onobi. Onobi has been a quality part of the Eagles B team that qualified for the Championship of African Nations in Rwanda next year. The other changes from the starting team in Swaziland meant that Chima Akas of Sharks was picked ahead of Elderson Echiejile of AS Monaco in the French league and Abia Warriors central defender Austin Oboroakpo was listed instead of Turkey-based Godfrey Oboabona.

Coach Oliseh hailed his players for their sense of urgency in the match.

He said, “Today, we have played well and we have secured the result we needed. But the truth is that we can do much more than this and we will strive to play better with every game.

“The changes we made today were effective. What it shows is that we use the best players available at any given time and we will always do that. It doesn’t matter if you play at the moon; the most important thing is what you are able to do on the pitch. A player’s country of residence doesn’t matter; what matters is giving us quality performance.”

The Eagles dominated the early exchanges of the match as they searched for the goals. Nigeria got the first chance of the game in the second minute when Oboroakpo headed over the bar from a corner kick.

Swaziland’s match tactics of defending and hitting Nigeria on the counter was going according to plan as their backline defended waves of attack from the Eagles. Ighalo, who was Nigeria’s top striker, was never given a breathing space as he was marked out.

In the 12th minute, the Watford striker had a rare shot at goal but shot straight at the Swazi goalkeeper. Ighalo had another chance in the 31st minute after a pass from Onobi found him but he could only shoot wide.

Swaziland had a chance to go into the lead in the 33rd minute after a cross found Sandile Hlatjwako, who shot over from close range. Indeed the 33rd minute miss was the closest the teams ever got at scoring in the first half.

The Eagles got the first goal in the 53rd minute from a free kick curled into the top corner by Moses after Igbonu had been fouled close to the Swazi goal area. They doubled the lead in the 87th minute after Ambrose tapped in another free kick played in by Igbonu from the right side of the Swazi goal.

Swaziland fought to reduce the tally as they forced Ikeme to make a save in the 83rd minute from a Njabulo Ndlovu shot. But they were reduced to 10 men in the 90th minute after Phumlani Dlamini got a second yellow card for a foul on Onazi.

Nigeria starting XI vs Swaziland

Carl Ikeme – Shehu Abdulahi, Chima Akas, Austin Oboroakpo, Efe Ambrose – Ogenyi Onazi, Paul Onobi, Sylvester Igbonu – Moses Simon, Odion Ighalo, Ahmed Musa (captain)

http://punchng.com/wcup-eagles-beat-swaziland-to-progress/[/b]

1 Like

Christianity Etc › Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013(op): 7:28pm On Nov 17, 2015

QUESTION

If Snake can talk and talked to Eve, why are Snakes not able to talk now since God did not curse his voice?

3 Likes

Sports › Re: Super Eagles Of Nigeria Thread: 2017 AFCON Qualifiers. by joseph1013: 7:24pm On Nov 17, 2015

Well, overall the team was not impressive. What is delightful though is that players in the team now realize that no one is indispensable. Oliseh had the balls to bench Mikel because according to him he did not play to instruction in the last game, and bring in Onobi who has been nothing short of magnificent in the CHAN Eagles. He dropped Echiejile for Home-based Chima Akas of Sharks. Austin Oboroakpo of Abia Warriors came in for Oboabona.

I'm not happy with Oliseh overall, but I gotta praise him for believing in these home stars. It's brilliant, especially because we won. End justifies the means, right?

1 Like

Christianity Etc › Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013(op): 1:41pm On Nov 17, 2015

[b]An Open Letter to Moderate Muslims
-Ali A. Rizvi

Let's start with what I'm not going to do.

I'm not going to accuse you of staying silent in the face of the horrific atrocities being committed around the world by your co-religionists. Most of you have loudly and unequivocally condemned groups like the Islamic State (ISIS), and gone out of your way to dissociate yourselves from them. You have helped successfully isolate ISIS and significantly damage its credibility.

I'm also not going to accuse you of being sympathetic to fundamentalists' causes like violent jihad or conversion by force. I know you condemn their primitive tactics like the rest of us, maybe even more so, considering the majority of victims of Islamic terrorists are moderate Muslims like yourselves. On this, I am with you.

But I do want to talk to you about your increasingly waning credibility -- a concern many of you have articulated as well.

You're feeling more misunderstood than ever, as Islamic fundamentalists hijack the image of Muslims, ostentatiously presenting themselves as the "voice of Islam." And worse, everyone seems to be buying it.

The frustration is evident. In response to comedian Bill Maher's recent segment ripping liberals for their silence on criticizing Islam, religious scholar Reza Aslan slammed him in a CNN interview. Visibly exasperated, he ultimately resorted to using words like "stupid" and "bigot" to make his points. (He apologized for this later.)

We'll get to Aslan's other arguments in a bit. But first, let's talk about something he said to his hosts that I know many of you relate to: that moderate Muslims are too often painted with the same brush as their fundamentalist counterparts. This is often true, and is largely unfair to moderates like yourselves.

But you can't simply blame this on the "ignorance" or "bigotry" of non-Muslims, or on media bias. Non-Muslims and the media are no more monolithic than the Muslim world you and I come from.

The problem is this: moderate Muslims like you also play a significant role in perpetuating this narrative -- even if you don't intend to.

To understand how, it's important to see how it looks from the other side.

***

Tell me if this sounds familiar:

(1) A moderate Muslim states that ISIS is wrong, they aren't "true" Muslims, and Islam is a religion of peace.

(2) A questioner asks: what about verses in the Quran like 4:89, saying to "seize and kill" disbelievers? Or 8:12-13, saying God sent angels to "smite the necks and fingertips" of disbelievers, foreboding a "grievous penalty" for whoever opposes Allah and his Messenger? Or 5:33, which says those who "spread corruption" (a vague phrase widely believed to include blasphemy and apostasy) should be "killed or crucified"? Or 47:4, which also prescribes beheading for disbelievers encountered in jihad?

(3) The Muslim responds by defending these verses as Allah's word -- he insists that they have been quoted "out of context," have been misinterpreted, are meant as metaphor, or that they may even have been mistranslated.

(4) Despite being shown multiple translations, or told that some of these passages (like similar passages in other holy books) are questionable in any context, the Muslim insists on his/her defense of the Scripture.

Sometimes, this kind of exchange will lead to the questioner being labeled an "Islamophobe," or being accused of bigotry, as Aslan did with Maher and his CNN hosts. This is a very serious charge that is very effective at ending the conversation. No one wants to be called a bigot.

But put yourself in the shoes of your non-Muslim audience. Is it really them linking Islam to terrorism? We're surrounded with images and videos of jihadists yelling "Allahu Akbar" and quoting passages from the Quran before beheading someone (usually a non-Muslim), setting off an explosion, or rallying others to battle. Who is really making this connection?

What would you do if this situation was reversed? What are non-Muslims supposed to think when even moderate Muslims like yourselves defend the very same words and book that these fundamentalists effortlessly quote as justification for killing them -- as perfect and infallible?

Like other moderates, Reza Aslan frequently bemoans those who read the Quran "literally." Interestingly enough, we sort of agree on this: the thought of the Quran being read "literally" -- or exactly as Allah wrote it -- unsettles me as much as it unsettles Reza.

This is telling, and Reza isn't alone. Many of you insist on alternative interpretations, some kind of metaphorical reading -- anything to avoid reading the holy book the way it's actually written. What message do you think this sends? To those on the outside, it implies there is something lacking in what you claim is God's perfect word. In a way, you're telling the listener to value your explanations of these words over the sacred words themselves. Obviously, this doesn't make a great case for divine authorship. Combined with the claims that the book is widely misunderstood, it makes the writer appear either inarticulate or incompetent. I know that's not the message you mean to send -- I've been where you are. But it is important to understand why it comes across that way to many non-Muslims.

If any kind of literature is to be interpreted "metaphorically," it has to at least represent the original idea. Metaphors are meant to illustrate and clarify ideas, not twist and obscure them. When the literal words speak of blatant violence but are claimed to really mean peace and unity, we're not in interpretation/metaphor zone anymore; we're heading into distortion/misrepresentation territory. If this disconnect was limited to one or two verses, I would consider your argument. If your interpretation were accepted by all of the world's Muslims, I would consider your argument. Unfortunately, neither of these is the case.

You may be shaking your head at this point. I know your explanations are very convincing to fellow believers. That's expected. When people don't want to abandon their faith or their conscience, they'll jump on anything they can find to reconcile the two.

But believe me, outside the echo chamber, all of this is very confusing. I've argued with Western liberals who admit they don't find these arguments convincing, but hold back their opinions for fear of being seen as Islamophobic, or in the interest of supporting moderates within the Muslim community who share their goals of fighting jihad and fundamentalism. Many of your liberal allies are sincere, but you'd be surprised how many won't tell you what they really think because of fear or political correctness. The only difference between them and Bill Maher is that Maher actually says it.

Unfortunately, this is what's eating away at your credibility. This is what makes otherwise rational moderate Muslims look remarkably inconsistent. Despite your best intentions, you also embolden anti-Muslim bigots -- albeit unknowingly -- by effectively narrowing the differences between yourselves and the fundamentalists. You condemn all kinds of terrible things being done in the name of your religion, but when the same things appear as verses in your book, you use all your faculties to defend them. This comes across as either denial or disingenuousness, both of which make an honest conversation impossible.

This presents an obvious dilemma. The belief that the Quran is the unquestionable word of God is fundamental to the Islamic faith, and held by the vast majority of Muslims worldwide, fundamentalist or progressive. Many of you believe that letting it go is as good as calling yourself non-Muslim. I get that. But does it have to be that way?

Having grown up as part of a Muslim family in several Muslim-majority countries, I've been hearing discussions about an Islamic reformation for as long as I can remember. Ultimately, I came to believe that the first step to any kind of substantive reformation is to seriously reconsider the concept of scriptural inerrancy.

And I'm not the only one. Maajid Nawaz, a committed Muslim, speaks openly about acknowledging problems in the Quran. Recently, in a brave article here right here on The Huffington Post, Imra Nazeer also asked Muslims to reconsider treating the Quran as infallible.

Is she right? At first glance, this may be a shocking thought. But it's possible, and it actually has precedent.

***

I grew up in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, before the Internet. We had an after-school tutor who taught us to read and recite the Quran in classical Arabic, the language in which it's written.

My family is among the majority of the world's 1.6 billion Muslims -- concentrated in countries like Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Turkey and Iran -- that doesn't speak Arabic. Millions of us, however, can read the Quran in Arabic, even if we don't understand it.

In most Muslim households, the Quran is physically placed at the highest place possible. In our house, it was at the top of a tall bookshelf. It cannot be physically touched unless an act of ablution/purification (wudhu) is first performed. It cannot be recited or touched by menstruating women. It is read in its entirety during the Sunni taraweeh prayers in the holy month of Ramadan. In many Muslim communities, it is held over the heads of grooms and brides as a blessing when they get married. A child completing her first reading of the Quran is a momentous occasion -- parties are thrown, gifts are given.

But before the Internet, I rarely met anyone -- including the devoutly religious -- who had really read the Quran in their own language. We just went by what we heard from our elders. We couldn't Google or verify things instantaneously like we do now.

There were many things in the Quran we didn't know were in there. Like Aslan, we also mistakenly thought that harsh punishments in Saudi Arabia like decapitation and hand amputation were cultural and not religious. Later, we learned that the Quran does indeed prescribe beheadings, and says clearly in verse 5:38 that thieves, male or female, should have their hands cut off.

Now, there are also other things widely thought to be in the Quran that aren't actually in there. A prominent example is the hijab or burka -- neither is mentioned in the Quran. Also absent is stoning to death as a punishment -- it's mentioned in the hadith (the Sunnah, or traditions of the Prophet), and even in the Old Testament -- but not in the Quran.

Neither male nor female circumcision (M/FGM) are found in the Quran. Again, however, both are mentioned in the hadith. When Aslan discussed FGM, he neglected to mention that of the four Sunni schools of jurisprudence, the Shafi'i school makes FGM mandatory based on these hadith, and the other three schools recommend it. This is why Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world, mostly Shafi'i, where Aslan said women were "absolutely 100% equal" to men, has an FGM prevalence of at least 86%, with over 90% of families supporting the practice. And the world's largest Arab Muslim country, Egypt, has an FGM prevalence of over 90%. So yes, both male and female genital cutting pre-date Islam. But it is inaccurate to say that they have no connection whatever to the religion.

***

That is the kind of information I could never reliably access growing up. But with the Internet came exposure.

Suddenly, every 12-year-old kid could search multiple translations of the Quran by topic, in dozens of languages. Nothing was hidden. It was all right there to see. When Lee Rigby's murderer cited Surah At-Tawbah to justify his actions, we could go online and see exactly what he was talking about. When ISIS claims divine sanction for its actions by citing verse 33 from Surah Al-Maaidah or verse 4 from Surah Muhammad, we can look it up for ourselves and connect the dots.

Needless to say, this is a pretty serious problem, one that you must address. When people see moderates insisting that Islam is peaceful while also defending these verses and claiming they're misunderstood, it appears inconsistent. When they read these passages and see fundamentalists carrying out exactly what they say, it appears consistent. That's scary. You should try to understand it. Loudly shouting "Racist!" over the voices of critics, as Ben Affleck did over Maher and Sam Harris last week, isn't going to make it go away.

(Also, if you think criticizing Islam is racist, you're saying that all of Islam is one particular race. There's a word for that.)

Yes, it's wrong and unfair for anyone to judge a religion by the actions of its followers, be they progressive Muslims or al Qaeda. But it is appropriate and intellectually honest to judge it by the contents of its canonical texts -- texts that are now accessible online to anyone and everyone at the tap of a finger.

Today, you need to do better when you address the legitimate questions people have about your beliefs and your holy book. Brushing off everything that is false or disturbing as "metaphor" or "misinterpretation" just isn't going to cut it. Neither is dismissing the questioner as a bigot.

How, then, to respond?

***

For starters, it might help to read not only the Quran, but the other Abrahamic texts. When you do, you'll see that the Old Testament has just as much violence, if not more, than the Quran. Stoning blasphemers, stoning fornicators, killing homosexuals -- it's all in there. When you get about ten verses deep into Deuteronomy 20, you may even swear you're reading a rulebook for ISIS.

You may find yourself asking, how is this possible? The book of the Jews is not much different from my book. How, then, are the majority of them secular? How is it that most don't take too seriously the words of the Torah/Old Testament -- originally believed to be the actual word of God revealed to Moses much like the Quran to Muhammad -- yet still retain strong Jewish identities? Can this happen with Islam and Muslims?

Clearly from the above, the answer is a tried-and-tested yes. And it must start by dissociating Islamic identity from Muslim identity -- by coming together on a sense of community, not ideology.

Finding consensus on ideology is impossible. The sectarian violence that continues to plague the Muslim world, and has killed more Muslims than any foreign army, is blatant evidence for this. But coming together on a sense of community is what moves any society forward. Look at other Abrahamic religions that underwent reformations. You know well that Judaism and Christianity had their own violence-ridden dark ages; you mention it every chance you get nowadays, and you're right. But how did they get past that?

Well, as much as the Pope opposes birth control, abortion and premarital sex, most Catholics today are openly pro-choice, practice birth control, and fornicate to their hearts' content. Most Jews are secular, and many even identify as atheists or agnostics while retaining the Jewish label. The dissidents and the heretics in these communities may get some flak here and there, but they aren't getting killed for dissenting.

This is in stark contrast to the Muslim world where, according to a worldwide 2013 Pew Research Study, a majority of people in large Muslim-majority countries like Egypt and Pakistan believe that those who leave the faith must die. They constantly obsess over who is a "real" Muslim and who is not. They are quicker to defend their faith from cartoonists and filmmakers than they are to condemn those committing atrocities in its name. (Note: To their credit, the almost universal, unapologetic opposition against ISIS from Muslims is a welcome development.)

***

The word "moderate" has lost its credibility. Fareed Zakaria has referred to Middle Eastern moderates as a "fantasy." Even apologists like Nathan Lean are pointing out that the use of this word isn't helping anyone.

Islam needs reformers, not moderates. And words like "reform" just don't go very well with words like "infallibility."

The purpose of reform is to change things, fix the system, and move it in a new direction. And to fix something, you have to acknowledge that it's broken -- not that it looks broken, or is being falsely portrayed as broken by the wrong people -- but that it's broken. That is your first step to reformation.

If this sounds too radical, think back to the Prophet Muhammad himself, who was chased out of Mecca for being a radical dissident fighting the Quraysh. Think of why Jesus Christ was crucified. These men didn't capitulate or shy away from challenging even the most sacred foundations of the status quo.

These men certainly weren't "moderates." They were radicals. Rebels. Reformers. That's how change happens. All revolutions start out as rebellions. Islam itself started this way. Openly challenging problematic ideas isn't bigotry, and it isn't blasphemy. If anything, it's Sunnah.

Get out there, and take it back.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ali-a-rizvi/an-open-letter-to-moderat_b_5930764.html[/b]

3 Likes

Christianity Etc › Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013(op): 1:27pm On Nov 17, 2015

This is so funny and horrifying because it's true.

It must be incredibly frustrating as an Islamic terrorist not to have your views and motives taken seriously by the societies you terrorize, even after you have explicitly and repeatedly stated them. Even worse, those on the regressive left, in their endless capacity for masochism and self-loathing, have attempted to shift blame inwardly on themselves, denying the terrorists even the satisfaction of claiming responsibility.

It's like a bad Monty Python sketch:

"We did this because our holy texts exhort us to to do it."

"No you didn't."

"Wait, what? Yes we did..."

"No, this has nothing to do with religion. You guys are just using religion as a front for social and geopolitical reasons."

"WHAT!? Did you even read our official statement? We give explicit Quranic justification. This is jihad, a holy crusade against pagans, blasphemers, and disbelievers."

"No, this is definitely not a Muslim thing. You guys are not true Muslims, and you defame a great religion by saying so."

"Huh!? Who are you to tell us we're not true Muslims!? Islam is literally at the core of everything we do, and we have implemented the truest most literal and honest interpretation of its founding texts. It is our very reason for being."

"Nope. We created you. We installed a social and economic system that alienates and disenfranchises you, and that's why you did this. We're sorry."

"What? Why are you apologizing? We just slaughtered you mercilessly in the streets. We targeted unwitting civilians - disenfranchisement doesn't even enter into it!"

"Listen, it's our fault. We don't blame you for feeling unwelcome and lashing out."

"Seriously, stop taking credit for this! We worked really hard to pull this off, and we're not going to let you take it away from us."

"No, we nourished your extremism. We accept full blame."

"OMG, how many people do we have to kill around here to finally get our message across?"

- Faisal Saeed Al Mutar

1 Like

Christianity Etc › Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013(op): 1:23pm On Nov 17, 2015*

[b]IT'S POLITICS, NOT RELIGION?

Saying, "It's politics, not religion," is like saying, "It's not falling out of the plane that kills you, it's the ground."

All Abrahamic religions are INHERENTLY political.

We’re talking about ideological belief systems that use reward and punishment, on Earth AND beyond, to effect people’s individual and collective behavior. We're talking about authoritarian dictates prescribing how to live, eat, deal with authority, form a government, have sex, raise children, and punish those who don’t comply. We're talking about legal codes, both personal (e.g. the Ten Commandments) and societal (e.g. sharia or halakha). We're talking about economics, trade, and more.

Nationalism, terms of law and order, and territorial claims are at the very root of what makes something political. The doctrine of Islamic jihadism is driven by a nationalism that is fiercely and violently protective of the religion from attacks -- including attacks from cartoonists and novelists -- or of encroachment on Muslim lands.

Zionism, a nationalist movement, has a territorial claim at its very heart -- one also supported by many evangelical Christians who believe the Jews must first return to Israel in order for Christ to return (36% of all Americans believe this according to Pew research -- a pretty huge voting bloc). The Jews, of course, are mere pawns in the Christian version of this eagerly anticipated end-times scenario, making this belief simultaneously anti-Semitic and pro-Israel. Add to this the unfortunate fact that “pro-Israel” automatically means “anti-Muslim” to millions of Arabs and Muslims across the world, and it becomes all but impossible to see where religion ends and the politics begins.

These religious nationalist movements aren't just political. Up to 65% of the Quran is dedicated to the fate of non-Muslims and/or how to deal with them. Zionism is a central theme in the Old Testament and is at the heart and soul of Judaism. And as for Christianity, Christopher Hitchens said it best: "...If your belief is that Jesus [is going to come] back very soon [and] is going to kill everyone who doesn’t agree with him -- how do you keep that out of politics? The belief IS political."

With all due respect to semi-informed writers like Giles Fraser, the idea that the religious can be separated from the political in conflicts like this -- or even that the two are wholly separate entities in the first place -- is dangerously naïve.

- Ali A. Rizvi[/b]

4 Likes 1 Share

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ... 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 (of 184 pages)