I am one of the readers of 'SIGNS' magazine. There are also a number of other readers as well in Penang who share your views.

I and my friends wish to take this opportunity to congratulate you for such a good service and to record our fullest support in your endeavor to continue to publish the magazine.
We really appraise the letters column where no bias is shown by printing letters even of critics.
Abdul Hakeem Penang

As a student I have read many books but it was only at seventeen that I picked up a Quran. A was amazed by it ever since.

I know that many people around the world dispute regarding Islam without first reading this book as they should. Since most people of our generation are literate, why not start with this book?

Put away all hindrances against this book. "We had given them a fully detailed scripture, with knowledge, guidance and mercy for those who believe. Are they waiting for the full interpretation thereof? The day its final interpretation comes, those who had ignored it in the past would say, "Indeed, the messengers of our Lord have brought the truth. Now, can we find intercessors to intercede on our behalf? or, can we get another chance, in order to live differently?. Indeed, they have lost their souls, and their own inventions did not help them. (Quran. 7:52).
Asiah Abdul Latif Singapore

A 7th Day Adventist friend recently gave me, together with many other items, a copy of your magazine, lnternational Issue No. 6. It took me several minutes to realize that it was a magazine presenting Muslim concepts, published by a group holding that religion.

The X-Rated Bible article caught my attention, as intended. At first I thought it was in a light vein of humor, but finally perceive that it is a serious effort to discredit the Christian Bible which is an historical record that some Muslim publications claim to have respect for.

I took interest in your "False Witness?" article about Jehovah's Witnesses and their response, the latter of which appears to be written in all sincerity and in a nice tone
by a member of that persuasion.

Other Muslim literature received at the same time as `Signs' indicate Muslim rejection of the theory called Trinity. Yet your article classes the J.W. people as an American cult. And condemns them as a group whose "beliefs are far removed from the truth they purport to pursue". Following that your article lists what most readers would consider your classification of their errors. You affirm "They reject the trinity....' and "Jesus Christ is considered (by them) not equal to God but ...". Wonder of wonders, your own Muslim beliefs embody the same precepts - rejection of the theory of Trinity and belief that Jesus Christ is not equal to God. Hypocrisy of all hypocrisies!

Perhaps the real reason you express opposition to the J.W.'s is because they are active to the casting down of errors and strongholds which are embraced and contended for by yourselves and other Muslim adherents.
Gilbert L Rice San Diego, U.S.A.

I found your article about Qardawi's book about "Halal and Haram" quite interesting. In it there is a reference to Surah 5:90, "O you who believe! Truly intoxicants and gambling ... are an abomination of Satan'sdoing". According to my knowledge, the accurate translation is : "Wine and gambling". This is a very important distinction, because to declare all intoxicants as haram is dangerous and misleading. Do you know that during the Ottoman Empire, Muslims were executed for drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes? Now these things are commonplace in Turkey. What happened? Another thing to remember is that as long as humans have existed, they have used various types of plants as medicines. Now, farmers in many countries are being murdered by their governments for growing these plants, even though the chemicals produced by pharmaceutical companies are far more dangerous.

Inshallah, I pray that if we ever have a real Islamic government, this kind of totalitarian behaviour, based on a mistranslation of the Qur'an, will stop immediately. God has forbidden wine to Muslims, because a drunk person cannot possibly pray. However, if He had forbidden all things which alter one's brain chemistry, it would then be haram to fast, to exercise, to fall in love, to drink tea, to sing.... And clearly, this makes nonsense.
K M Friedemann USA

Every month we read your magazine with much interest, due to the broad range of subjects concerning Islam that you discuss in your articles.

As a fellow Moslem, I wish to raise your awareness to a translation, dictionary and index of the Quran, which I have prepared with my daughter. It is noteworthy to point out that we consider ourselves to follow God alone, and do not have any affiliation with any of the many sects of Islam. Our Translation is entirely based on our dictionary of every word of the Quran, which we attempted to make as unbiased and neutral as possible. Once the dictionary was completed we began translating each word of the Arabic Quran with its equivalents in English from our dictionary. The third volume of our work is a truly alphabetized word index of the Quran, where we took each Arabic word from our dictionary and replaced the definitions with the chapter and verse number that the particular word is found in throughout the Quran. To the best of our knowledge our Dictionary and Index are the only two available to date that are entirely in alphabetical order, eliminating the need for one to first determine the root word m Arabic.

We are sending you two copies of our Complete Quranic Dictionary and Literal Translation as well as our newest edition, The First Truly Alphabetized Word Index of the Quran.
Mohamed Ahmed Vancouver, Canada

I received the Signs Magazine Issue No. 8 recently and realized that your real motive is to destroy Islam by constantly criticizing the positive role of the ulamak which you termed as Priests. Is Kassim Ahmad an ulamak or a Priest? Do you realize that without the ulamaks, the religion of Islam will be dominated by people like Kassim Ahmad (Malaysia) who claimed to follow Islam by the Quran alone. He has not performed the Haji because he is a socialist at heart.

I hope you will follow Islam by the two real sources i.e. Quran and Sunnah. May Allah guide all of us including the sponsors and masterminds of Signs Magazine to the right path.
Mohamed Salleh Bin Abu Bakar, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  

Thanks to all readers who wrote in about Salat prayers. A forthcoming issue of Signs magazine will deal with this subject.      

Signs magazine presenting a Quranic perspective for discussion and debate. We would like to hear from you. If you have any news, views or questions please write to us. Signs Magazine Strathyre House P.O. Box 164 Glasgow G3 6LR. (U.K.)
Fax No: +44 (0) 141-331 2861 or Can e-mail us at SignsEditor@netscape.net