The Qu'ran, a guide for Jews and Christians wanting to debate Muslims or simply learn more

 Note: This is not comprehensive, I recommend further scholarship to get more information on the specifics, this is just a general overview for Jews and Christians. I am a Christian, though I hope this provides Jews and Christians more information on Islam for those seeking to speak with and debate Muslims on their faith.

The Qu'ran and Islam themselves are considered part of Abrahamic tradition, much like Judaism and Christianity. However, a lot is different, and here are some things to keep in mind.

1. The Qu'ran is not simply the Torah or Bible with more tacked on. It's instead it is a unique text, with a revised account of many things mentioned in the Jewish and Christian texts, and its own version of others. Lots of details are much different and certain things accepted as true for Jews and Christians are different, such as the concept of the Christian Trinity is not true (though Jesus is mentioned as a prophet). 

2. The Qu'ran (also pronounced Koran) was originally written in Arabic, and is best understood in that language, according to Muslims. It has an English translation, but it's a bit strange to read due to the fact the Qu'ran's suras, or chapters, read a lot more like poetry than the books of the Torah or Bible.

3. The Qu'ran has deuterocanon called the hadith and like Catholicism, an imam or mullah may be needed to clarify certain things in the context of what is proper for Muslims, much like Catholics depend on the dictates of the Church to know how certain practices square with or oppose the teachings of the Bible and the traditions of the Church.

4. Like Judaism, Islam is strictly monotheist in intent, as the Christian Trinity is not given any credit as true. Rather, Allah (or God) is one being with no division of power, duty, or otherwise.

5. Like the Jews, the Muslims do not consume pork, and unlike Jews and most Christians, also consider alcohol verboten for drinking.

6. The final prophet deemed to have made the last true revelations of Allah is Muhammad. Anything prior may have some degree of truth, but the final form of Allah's message was delivered by Muhammad in Islamic tradition.

7. Islam has Five Pillars of Faith, which are:

A. Testimony: A profession of faith in Allah and acknowledgment Muhammad is his messenger.

B. Prayer: Five times a day a devout Muslim must pray in the direction of Mecca, and no other reason is allowed to supersede doing so.

C. Charity: Muslims are expected to give alms based on a fixed portion of their income for the needs of the less fortunate. Optional additional charity is encouraged as well.

D. Fasting: During the Muslim month of Ramadan, Muslims are expected to fast. The Catholic Lent is the closest Christian tradition to this, and fasting often requires refraining from food during the daylight hours much like Judaism's version of fasting.

E. Pilgrimage: At least once in the lifetime of a Muslim, they need to make a pilgrimage to Mecca. More is encouraged, but once is considered a must. The obligatory pilgrimage is called the "hajj".

8. Recitation and memorization of the Qu'ran are heavily encouraged and considered an act of faith.

9. Islam is not merely a religion, it is supposed to encompass all spheres of life, such as law, politics, and all other activities. Ideally, Muslims apply their faith to all activities.

The Democrats want Republicans to get vaccinated, and why they have only their disgust

 I saw this recently, I want to spit in the face of the people who thought this cheap stunt would win over people:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/fauci-at-nascar-white-house-looks-to-appeal-to-vaccine-hesitant-conservatives-and-evangelicals-185930397.html

https://archive.is/sBs7s

  According to this, Anthony Fauci tried to win over Republicans with some publicity stunt where he tries to pour on the charm at NASCAR to reach out to those hesitant to get COVID vaccines, and the Democrats seem to be at a loss for why Republicans are still not marching like lemmings to get them.

Now, I am NOT a registered Republican. I sympathize and agree with many of their positions and hold little love for a lot of Democrat positions, but merely because I don't believe many of those ideals suit my best interests at this time. At the same time, I remember that Democrats and Republicans are both American citizens and people, and deserve dignity for both.

And that is the crux of why Republicans are suspicious: The Democrats are utterly tone-deaf and frankly fools if they think some cheap publicity stunts are gonna get Republicans to trust them. If anything, this is a shallow, tasteless stunt and the Democrats would be better served to try to mend fences they spent a long time tearing down where THEY spat on, humiliated, canceled, dehumanized, and demonized Republicans, simply for whom they chose to vote for and put their trust in.

Namely, Donald Trump, who, for better or worse, won the respect of many Republicans, and, for better or worse, was someone they decided to trust because he appeared to give more of a damn about them than their votes, he actually cared about them as HUMAN BEINGS.

Maybe Trump was just better at selling himself as someone who actually cared. Maybe, if you want to be really cynical, he just was better at the BS game than the Democrats. Let's presume that's true. If that's the case, the Democrats need to ask themselves: After all we did to spit on Republicans for the longest time, why did we think some lame PR stunts were gonna win them over after we spent so much time demeaning their dignity.

The reason is simple: They don't see people, they see votes they yet to secure. They don't see those they hurt, they just see sheep they have yet to convince to sing "Four legs good, two legs bad". Even if there are Republicans who do believe vaccination is good (and for the record, while I have my concerns about the COVID vaccines, if they prove effective, then I will get one myself if need be), there is no surprise to me why the Democrats aren't winning converts to get vaccinations.

Put simply: Maybe the Republicans want an apology for being treated lower than dirt. Maybe they want you to tell your more rabid supporters to quit treating Republicans like the Nazis for simple political differences. Maybe you should focus on winning the respect of other human beings by giving them basic dignity first before appealing to them to side with you politically. Maybe if you do that, this vaccination call won't be treated with such suspicion and contempt.

With that said, if any Democrat happens to read this, I hope you bear that in mind before you do something else this tasteless and shallow.