would expect a follower of the one true god (i.e. Allah) to REJECT a pagan name for a holy land, ESPECIALLY when that name was given to the land specifically to erase the land's connection with Allah.

I would expect that you would not want to make this statement since Jews are not pagans. The Jews that chose to settle in the area called themselves Palestinian until they declared the land the nation of Israel after the UN gave them the land as a homeland for the Jews. If you do a little research you will find that Islam recognizes Israel as a nation and a people. Keep in mind that Muslims owe their heritage to the Jews since they are the children of Abraham. I would also suggest you study harder because Islam is the youngest monotheistic religion coming up about 700 years after Christ showed up on the scene.

"You seem to assume that I share your apparent view of Lincoln and Grant being evil people?"

Nope, what you said was a good Muslim wouldn't mourn the death of the greatest "murderer" of Muslims. The brutality of the North during the civil war easily equaled Hussein, and has anyone been responsible for killing more Americans than Lincoln? Sherman is synonymous with a war of attrition against civilians, and yet they begged him to run for President AFTERWARD.

You just differ on "murder" and what it means. You blame the South, but the North baited the military conflict over an ideal, and broke peace agreements to do it. Grant, Sherman, Lincoln all would be considered war criminals now in my opinion. Yet, we celebrated their victories, and we mourned their deaths.

We celebrated the deaths of "japs" in WW2, we rejoiced when we heard the newsreels tell us the "kraut" body count. Good Christians? We make people like Richard the Lionhearted heroes and he had Jews KILLED.

Given we have photos of Rumsfeld shaking hands with Hussein and that the US funded HUssein during his largest effort to "murder" muslims... well, we have no right to condemn the Palestinians for being a little conflicted now, do we? When we opposed the Iranians he was our friend, too.

As for the word they use for "Palestine", I think I've pointed out it holds no water. I've asked you to point out the appropriate Koranic term and you can't, because there isn't one. "Palestine" was in use long before Islam came to be, so you really can't pretend it is a term that was used to harm Islam, or Judaism, considering Jews were using it too.

"Palestine" was in use long before Islam came to be, so you really can't pretend it is a term that was used to harm Islam, or Judaism, considering Jews were using it too.

What is it with you people pretending that I said that Islam is older than the word "Palestine"??? I never said that.

What I did say was that "Palestina" was the name the pagans gave to the land. They did it to insult the Jews and the god of the Jews, who is, incidentally, the god of Islam.

I find it weird that so-called Muslims would call a land by the name given to it a) by pagans and b) to insult the god they believe in. That's all. It has nothing to do with the age of Islam or the age of the word "Palestine".

""The Quran refers to Canaan as the land G-d gave to the people of Israel""

The word Canaan isn't in the Koran. Please tell me what word they should be using. Unless you expect them to walk around saying "The Land God Gave to the People of Israel" every time they need to refer to it.

You also ignore the fact that Jews in Palestine were using the word before there was an Islam. Why would they be insulting their own God? Could you point out the borders of what you are talking about?

"What I did say was that "Palestina" was the name the pagans gave to the land. They did it to insult the Jews and the god of the Jews, who is, incidentally, the god of Islam."

Dunno where you got that. Could you cite something that lends to that? The term refers to the word Philistine, in reality. Josephus used the word, I pointed out the word is used in the KJV, it was used by Jews long before there was an Islam.

So... I really don't think you even have a point here, you're just grumping.

"I find it weird that so-called Muslims would call a land by the name given to it a) by pagans and b) to insult the god they believe in. That's all. It has nothing to do with the age of Islam or the age of the word "Palestine"."

Could you prove that the word "Palestine" was used to insult the Hebrew God. Tell me who used it that way. What is the insult? Where do you find it used as an insult toward the Hebrew God?

How is it an insult to God if Jews, themselves, used it? Israelis use the term now widely. You won't even SPELL the word God, yet you expect me to believe that Jews haphazardly used a word that was intended blasphemously?

Are you just making this up?

The term refers to the word Philistine, in reality.

Which, of course, reduces the possibility of insult. I think Rome traded with the Philistines in its early years, or at least knew the area as home to a trading colony. Why not call it what history called it?