Arif Khan's Blog

Crucifixion - An Islamic Prespective

I attended this excellent event at the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Mosque in Manchester, Darul Aman.

At the event i was given an area to exhibit some material. I had a selection of books by western scholars on the topic of Jesus surviving the Crucifixion and travelling to India, a large poster for Paul Davids' 'Jesus in India' movie, related magazines and leaflets and other books as well as a laptop running a short video with clips from relevant documentaries.

The event was very well attended and I had intersting discussions prior to the formal programme starting.

I found that those who came were of an open mind and had never even considered the possibility that Jesus survived the Crucifixion before. It was a fascinating experience. I spoke to one Catholic man at first and then had a discussion with a sunni Muslim about what the Quran says. I found both to be genuinely interested and intruiged by the interpretations of the Ahmadiyya community that i laid out for them.

Where i had expected opposition and debate i found fascination and follow on questions.

The key note address was delivered by the Imam of London mosque and followed a Q&A session. Both were excellently conducted with Imam sahib jumping topic with complete ease and comfort.

After the event i took the opportunity to take a DVD copy of Paul Davids' 'Jesus In India' and present it to Imam sahib as a gift explaining that it was the most recent and most comprehensive documentary on the whole subject.

Another fascinating item was Imam sahib talking about the 'Jesus in Japan' theory. He stated that he had visited the alleged grave and examined the legends first hand but did not find any supporting evidence. His working theory is that the grave belonged to some of Jesus' close companions and followers.

 

Lymphoma Can Be Fatal

This may seem a very blunt message, and maybe overly so, yet it is something that I've been recently reminded of and something I feel is important to remember for me, and for those who read this blog.

Hodgkin's Lymphoma is the most treatable cancer out there - but it is important to know that people do die of it. There is a cancer support forum that i have been a member of for many years and within the last few weeks there have been two huge loses on there.

The majority of people respond to treatment. I was fortunate enough that my glands showed a 'complete response' after the first dose of the ABVD cocktail. Yet others are not so fortunate. For others the battle starts with ABVD and goes to many other drugs, often leading to experimental clinical trials.

Anyone who has Hodgkin's should be reassured that in most cases it is treatable and cured - yet it is important to remember that it is not that way for everyone. It is sometimes called the 'good cancer' and talked about lightly, due to high cure rates, yet I feel out of respect for those who have not been able to fight it off we should be very careful when talking about it in that way.

Life is fragile. Illness can be fatal. Lymphoma is a cancer and it can kill

Islam & Other Religions

During interfaith discussions a topic that comes up frequently is what one particular religion teaches about other faiths. It is a sad fact that Islam is seen as possessing a very narrow view on truth, when in fact Islam is the only religion that gives details information about other faiths.

The Holy Quran gives many details about exactly where the truth lies in other religous belief systems and also where they have erred.

The Holy Quran mentions directly figures such as Abraham, Noah, Moses, and Jesus. All are mentioned as truthful messengers of God and a Muslim must believe in all these prophets.

The Holy Quran is a detailed interfaith guide book. To give a flavour of some of the verses that highlight this inclusive feature of Islam I present the following quotes from the Holy Quran:

Al-Baqarah Chapter 2 : Verse 63

[2:63] Surely, the Believers, and the Jews, and the Christians and the Sabians — whichever party from among these truly believes in Allah and the Last Day and does good deeds — shall have their reward with their Lord, and no fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve.

Aal-e-`Imran Chapter 3 : Verse 65

[3:65] Say, ‘O People of the Book! come to a word equal between us and you — that we worship none but Allah, and that we associate no partner with Him, and that some of us take not others for Lords beside Allah.’ But if they turn away, then say, ‘Bear witness that we have submitted to God.’

The final judgement between the different groups is left to God himself as it states int he Quran:

Al-Hajj Chapter 22 : Verse 18

[22:18] As to those who believe, and the Jews, and the Sabians, and the Christians, and the Magians and the idolaters, verily, Allah will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection; surely Allah is Witness over all things.

Under the leadership of Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (peace be upon him) the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has expanded this inclusive religous teaching further. Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (peace be upon him) also taught that Buddha (peace be upon him) and Krishna (peace be upon him) were also prophets of God and that Baba Guru Nanak - founder of the Sikh faith - also taught from the same Universial Spring of Truth that is God.

While the Jews teach of one chosen people of God, and the Christians talk of a single way to salvation through Christ, it is only Islam that talks about all the deep truths in all faith traditions.

24 Season 7 - Jack Bauer and Islam

24 certainly keeps you guessing - i was not a fan of the early episodes in this season - the characters were all new, and the established characters notably absent - but as the season progressed our old favourites came back - and things improved hugely.

24 Season 7 really did live up to the billing of the 'best season of 24'.

One of the most interesting twists - the role of an Imam as Jack Bauer is apparently on his deathbed. The Imam visits Jack at Jack's request and is the person who Jack seeks some sort of solace and intercessionary forgiveness from. Its a wonderful scene - beautifully done. There is no evidence that Jack actually converts to islam during this scene but it is clear he chooses his last moments to be spent with the Imam.

This scene - not surprisingly - has caused a lot of controversy. Some people feel that 24 has become too 'politically correct' and has become a 'diversity fest' - maybe this includes the fact that it had a black President of the US and in Season 7 a female President. The blogs i've read and comments by visitors are upset at 24 seeming to go 'too far' to be sympathetic to the Muslim community.

I absolutely loved the role of the Imam in this season - initially suspicion falls on one of his followers wrongly and later on he is the one closest to Jack as Jack faces death - in fact he is the last person to talk to him before Jack enters a coma.

What does Season 8 hold? Could Jack Bauer appear in Season 8 as a Muslim?

I'm not sure if America is ready for that - but it would be a wonderful story. It would add depth to his character and allow a positive image of Islam to be portrayed to a massive audience.

Is America ready for this? Probably not in the current climate - but with 24 always pushing the boundaries - this could well be a possibility.

What do the people in the blog world say? Here's a sample:

Blog Post 1:

"Now the final episode depicts Jack Bauer as looking up to the Muslim imam as, evidently, the only religious person he could think of to talk to during his last few breaths on earth. I guess the producers (and Kiefer Sutherland, the actor who portrays Jack Bauer, is one of the producers of 24) have now decided to carry their political correctness to the extreme.

Why did the producers of 24 ever feel the need to please and pacify the Muslim community in the first place? Do they honestly think that the viewers don't know what they're trying to do? Why not have Jack Bauer call in his family Christian pastor, for example? Maybe Jack Bauer has always been an atheist.

Don't get me wrong. I'm glad that Jack Bauer chose to talk to someone with some kind of spiritual authority, and I would like to mention that the actor who portrays the Muslim imam does so with just the right spiritual touch.

It's just disturbing that while the praise of the virtues of a Muslim imam are portrayed, the possibility of a Christian pastor's ability to give counsel are completely ignored, especially in light of the fact that 24 has many conservative viewers who might also happen to be Christians. 24 fans are wondering if Jack Bauer has now converted to Islam.

I think the producers of 24 should, in the future, focus on their original purpose for this show, and excellent writing, rather than being so overly concerned about being politically correct. After all, it wasn't political correctness that made this show popular in the first place."

 

Comment on this Blog Post

"Now I am not only sorry that I watched it - I am Mad As Hell. The stinking POLITICAL CORRECTNESS, rampant MULTICULTURALISM and ISLAMIC IMAM ASS-KISSING that has crept into this - formerly great - series along with Jannet Garofoolo (a bad comedian and crap ANTI-AMERICAN actress) - is flatly RANK and betrays the true Far Left spirit that is motivating the producers and driving this show - hopefully into BANKRUPTCY.

The Imam bit was the last straw for me and - as I read the internet - hundreds of thousands of other former "fans." Do these producers and writers forget that it was Radical Islam that powered the terrorists who murdered 3000+ of our American Brothers and Sisters on September 11, 2001?

I believe that Americans are SICK AND TIRED of being PUT UPON with the political PROPAGANDA that tries to pass as "entertainment." As a Behavioral Scientist and former student of Propaganda I can tell you that the "formula" goes like this: "Tell them 90 percent of what they want to hear and they will BUY the 10 percent that YOU want them to believe."

Sorry 24 America is onto you. Let's hope that your sponsors junk you and your sleazy attempt to propagandize Americans dies along with the Imam loving Jack Bower and.

I - for one - will be contacting them and voicing my extreme displeasure toward your program. I can only hope that everyone else who is as DISGUSTED WITH YOU as I am will DO THE SAME.

One very FUNNY thing is that the Leftists don't like you and we Conservatives are tuning you out. Guess you know what that means - or do you even CARE?

Aidios you scuzball Leftists."

Another Comment on the same post:

"It didn't bother me one bit - it is just entertainment. I do think it was a way to apologize to those Muslim's that complained (or more precisely the political correctness movement) - that part I didn't agree with, but I personally did get two things from this part of the show -

1. That we can find God in the most unsuspecting places.

2. That everyone must pray for and reconcile with our enemies in some form or another.

Jack didn't recite the Shahaada (I think that is what you call it - the equivalent of the apostles creed) and Jack wasn't around Pastors"

 

Arif's View

Looks like 24 has a very vocal debate on it's hands here - just the sort of hype you need at the end of one season to get people interested in the next!

I'm already trying to find out when Season 8 will be on so i guess it's working!

What an interesting development it would be if Jack Bauer - America's most famous hero of recent years - was to find spirituality and religion through Islam.

"Jesus in India" - The Radio Shows

There have been many radio interviews for both Paul Davids and Edward T. Martin in relation to the movie 'Jesus in India'.

Some of these are free mp3 downloads and i have heard them all and would highly recommend them.

I wanted to highlight these - they can be found at the following page:

Cancer and Fertility - Theory Vs Practice

One of the side effects for the first line chemotherapy treatment used to treat Hodgkin's Lymphoma today - ABVD - is as follows:

"Fertility: Your ability to conceive or father a child may be affected by this treatment. It is important to discuss this with your doctor before starting treatment. However, ABVD is less likely to affect fertility than some other chemotherapy treatments for Hodgkin lymphoma." [Cancerbackup.org.uk]

The standard advice given to men is prior to the chemotherapy to place a 'deposit' at a sperm bank. With modern technology sperm can be stored for decades and brought back later on and used to concieve. I was advised that while ABVD is less likely to decrease fertility this option is recommended and does not cost anything - and is fairly straight forward. Its like an insurance policy i was told - i decided to take the insurance.

The whole experience was strange - within an hour or so i was also presented with some numbers based on an analysis of my sample, along with pages and pages of consent forms. Here's  a taster of the sort of question i had to answer:

"In the event of your death do you consent to allowing your wife / partner to utilise your sperm for conceiving a child?"

This whole thing occurs in the period of time where you know you have cancer - and you know you have months of treatment coming up - but you've not started yet. You are already pretty messed up emotionally - and then you have questions like that!

Also - then came the numbers... i was not prepared for a conversation about sperm counts! I had hoped the sample would be taken and frozen and that was that - but no - they had to check it was a good sample and check other things.

So before i even started any chemotherapy i was told that the counts in the sample were a little low. They were apparently not something to worry about - but i should come back for another couple of visits. To have your fertility brought in to question before chemotherapy had even started - knowing the ordeal that was ahead - was not nice.

What made it worse was my complete lack of preparation for any feedback on this subject on the given day - i had just been told i needed to come back in a few hours to get some forms!

Chemotherapy

Then comes the chemo! Chemo works by attacking cells that are dividing rapidly - this is why it can affect the production of sperm. Stronger regimes of chemo can have stronger effects and some forms can lead to the patient becoming completely sterlie. Pretty heavy stuff to take in at 25 - but i knew my chances with ABVD were far better and things 'should' be ok.

Theory Vs Practice

Well, I had 4 cycles of ABVD - my wife had 3 cycles of ABVD [fertility needs both sides working!] - and many couples with no chemo-drugs involved have issues with having children.

So. There's the theory. The practice? We got married in October 2008 and in January 2009 we found out we're expecting our first child. Wow. Looks like fertility was not an issue at all - in fact if we were in a system where drugs were commercially sold to patients and 'marketed' then i think my case could be used as part of an ad for ABVD - something like 'this couple BOTH had and are expecting their first child' etc etc.

Advice

So if you are stressing about this prior to treatment my advice is to concentrate on other areas. The advice to bank sperm before treatment starts is still good advice - but dont lose sleep over having children post-chemo - it can happen without any issues.

Blog in 2009

It was suggested to me a few months ago that after my treatment and return to work are seen as 'complete' that i should use this blog to publish research i'm involved in and findings i come across, especially in regards to the 'Jesus in India' theory.

For me the recovery and overall experience of cancer runs on far beyond the end of treatments. For this reason i will continue to include health updates on here.

However, these will be less frequent (hopefully!) and so i have been working on a partial re-branding of this blog to a more general purpose one.

In 2009 i hope to use it as an outlet for areas i am working on that i wish to share. Blogs allow you to catagorise posts - so that will allow me to divide up the posts and allow people to get to what they want.

Watch this space!

Jesus in India the Movie - Sales Over 6 Continents

I wanted to share this sales map with everyone. This is to reflect countries that have bought the DVD already - despite it only being shown on the Sundance Channel in the US. The geographical coverage is very interesting and amazing considering its only been available a little over 4 weeks.

This documentary includes sections from interviews i gave to Paul Davids near the end of 2006. Included in the bonus footage is a panel discussion that took place following the premiere screening in Palm Springs of the film. I was at this and take part in this discussion.

For those who do not have a copy yet i recommend getting one from the website or contact me if you want to buy and pick one up from me direct rather than buy online.

What a difference a year makes..

At this stage last year i was under going radiotherapy. Although it was still a form of treatment, and i was still of work, i remember i felt better each passing day. The chemotherapy drugs form a full assault on the body. The last Chemo treatment was on December 22nd and by the end of January i was truly over the chemotherapy side effects - the short term ones anyway. The radiotherapy had little effect compared to the chemo - i had sore skin at the stop of radiotherapy and the skin did break also - but after chemo this felt like absolutely nothing.

I felt more sleepy and was told this was common - i remember feeling sleepy a lot of the time. Other than that i was trying to build myself up for the months ahead.

As i neared the end of treatment i realised that i was going to have to try and go back to my previous lifestyle. That involved quite a few responsibilities and projects and tasks to manage. Work was a definite concern. I had only been in the job 4 months when i got my diagnosis and only 2 months of that had been in the team i was currently in.

What would going back to work be like? Would people treat me differently? What would be expected of me? How long would it take my hair to grow back? What would my energy levels be like with the commute to and from work? Would i be able to focus on work?

A year on now all of those anxieties and worries are water under the bridge.

It was hard getting back to all those things - there was a lot going on - it was difficult focusing on work at times. I needed to come back to work slowly, on reduced hours and days to start with. At times i needed to talk / email / post on forums about how i was feeling - my experiences - how i had found things.

Friends and family are just as important in this period as they were during treatment.

To anyone who is facing a return to work - or is trying to get things back in order following treatment i would say two things.

1. It gets easier with time. Don't expect things to be as they were before right away. A year down the line i think now i feel settled again at work. It comes slowly. Also you are a different person now - don't worry about that, but embrace it and view it as a positive.

2. Use that support network. After treatment is complete there's fewer hospital trips, fewer blood tests, fewer drugs to take - its less obvious to those around you that you are still going through this experience. Take whatever help is available to you and see your friends and family as often as you can

Jesus in India - Christmas on Sundance

The film, along with my role in it, is now officially out there. The DVD has been selling well online also from what i hear. Its interesting to think about just how many people have now been exposed to the ideas, thoughts and evidence surrounding the 'Jesus in India' theory as a result of Paul Davids' film.

The film presents all sides of the arguments. It gives the evidence for, and also allows those who disagree to voice their views.

Some of the press coverage and reviews of the film seem to have not appreciated this. They seem to take the snippets of those who disagree with the theory shown on the film as evidence for the theory being 'weak'. Audiences are used to, perhaps, being 'sold' something and having to do their own reading to find out how much of that to believe.

One thing that i now realise would confuse many viewers is Islam's response to the tomb in Kashmir.

How many of those viewing the film are even aware that Jesus is recognised in Islam in the first place? How many are aware of the the Orthodox Muslim viewpoints about the Crucifixion and Ascension that the majority of Muslims adhere to today?

One commentator highlighted that 'not even the local Muslims' believe it to be the tomb of Jesus.

For orthodox Islam the idea of Jesus being buried anywhere is a deep heresy. They, like the Christian world, await his second coming from the heavens. What is fascinating is that despite this the locals are still adament that a Prophet is buried in that tomb.

Is it Jesus? No, no, - we are told - its "Prophet Yuzu" - who travelled from the West. They even talk about him having come from Egypt.

To find out more about what i said in the film and some comments relating those quotes visit this webpage:

Arif Khan's Interview for Jesus in India