Until the advent of materialism and 19th c. dogma, Western Civilisation was superior to anything Islam had developed. Islam has not aided in the development of the modern world; in fact civilisation has only been created in spite of Islam. Proof of this resides in the 'modern' world and the unending political-economic and spiritual poverty of Muslim states and regions. Squatting on richer civilisations is not 'progress'. Islam is pagan, totalitarian, and irrational.
There are six 'pillars' or duties for Muslims and the moon cult followers: These duties are 1. Follow the Koran [or as the moon cult prefers to name it, professing 'faith']; 2. Fasting, 3. Saying your 5 daily prayers whilst facing Mecca, 4. The Hajj or journey to Mecca to pay homage to the great moon cult monuments and to Mohammed's birth place [and make Arab merchants and hoteliers rich], 5. Jihad and spreading Islam by war and 6. The giving of alms. Multi-culturalists usually ejaculate and expostulate absurd theories about Muslim greatness over the last duty – the giving of charity. Alas for the hard-of-thinking, Islamic 'Zakat' or alms-giving has nothing whatsoever to do with charity. It is a payment by Muslims for Muslims, to safeguard the collective strength of the Umma. Alms-giving is denied to non-Muslims. Its purpose is societal and demographic – not one of charity.
Judeo-Christian charity is defined as not only the giving of money to anyone in need; but more importantly the giving of love and toleration to anyone in need. J-C charity is thus real charity. It is not just a monetary contribution, but an investment of human love, affection, toleration and time, for people who have less. Nothing like this concept exists in the moon-cult Fascism called Islam. Nothing like the following verse from the New Testament can be found anywhere in the Koran, or Islamic liturgy. This is how Christianity views charity:
1 Corinthians, 13:3
"And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing."
In Judeo-Christian tradition charity is not buying off your sins by handing money to the poor. Charity is in the main, a spiritual project, one infused with true love for the plight of the poor and unfortunate. Nothing like this exists within Islam.
For the Meccan moon cult charity is a social-political program – only for Muslims. Non-Muslims are excluded.
"Who do not give the obligatory charity (Zakat), and with regard to the Hereafter, they are disbelievers." [57:7]
No love. No toleration. No investment of time. Pay the tithe and be quiet.
There is also no prerogative within Islam to give charity to non-Muslims. The Zakat is simply a transfer of funds to the Muslim elite [a.k.a., the clerics who run the mosques], who will then decide, like Santa Claus, who is naughty and nice, and who gets what share of the communal tax booty. Needless to say Jews and Christians need not apply for Muslim charity.
Zakat is an obligatory fee collected by the Muslim state, which uses it to aid Muslims in need. Non-Muslims will not receive any charity. How very loving and tolerant! Usually 2.5 % of a person's income – if they can afford it – is collected as 'alms' by the Muslim cult. This money is redistributed in order to sustain the health of the umma, and the Muslim collective. If there is no nation state, or in cases where Muslims reside in non-Muslim nations [a sacrilege in the eyes of Allah, or whatever he might see with]; than a Muslim run organization must be set up, collect the tithe, and redistribute the monies. As with any system of welfare, the accounts of fraud, theft and wealthy families pilfering the Zakat treasury are legion.
Neo-Marxists, the socialists, and the multi-cult usually have orgiastic ravings of admiration for Islam, when discussing the Zakat. Keep in mind a few things. First, true charity combining real effort, love and money originated in Judaism and found wide expression within Christianity. 'Do Unto Others...' is the J-C cultural rule, which is the foundation of a civilized society. The Golden Rule does not exist within Islam. Second, with J-C traditions all people irregardless of race, creed, or gender, receive charity. Third, non-Muslim states formed in the Western tradition are the greatest benefactors, investors, and organizers of international charity, disaster relief, and aid. In the recent Haitian quake, for example, Muslim states gave less than 0.1% of the total charitable aid sent to the island. The US gave well over $150 million when all state and private donations are totalled. The Muslim world less than $150.000. This total is a rounding error for a Saudi party in Las Vegas during any single weekend. For the Muslim mind there is no point in transferring money to Haiti – a non-Muslim state. Infidels don't receive Muslim charity. That is the simple reality of 'Zakat' and the moon cult concept of 'charity'.
As one would expect the academics, the media, the multi-cults, and the deranged lovers-of-Islam ignore such realities. To these diseased minds the Muslim world enforces charity, and that is laudable. These commentators don't wish to understand the real purpose of Zakat, which is simply to keep the umma strong; keep women procreating future Jihad-warriors or Ghazi, and to make sure that the Muslim state and community survive, in order to conquer the infidel.
Western ignoramuses believe Muslim propaganda. The Al-Allah moon deity is the same as the Christian 'God'. The Koran is holy. All Muslims are moderates. Islam created the modern world. There was a Muslim Golden Age while Europe was in a Dark Age. Jihad means internal striving. Zakat is the same as Christian charity. Gaza is under siege and the people starving to death. Israel was originally settled by Arabs. The Crusades started the Christian-Muslim conflict. Turkey is moderate. Spain must be returned to the House of Islam. And so on.
Mindlessness.
But that is what Muslims count on in their zeal to conquer the world: the mindlessness of Western people and society. The moon cult screams that it is a 'religion' and since it is easier just to agree and not argue, Westerners shrug their shoulders and say 'okay'. The more deluded preach that Islam is conflated with Judeo-Christianity. Zakat is given as another example of Muslim enlightenment.
Sadly of course the reality is the opposite. Muslim charity is not charity in the Western sense. There is no love, toleration or investment to help the poor, and certainly no effort is made to aid non-Muslims in need. Zakat is simply a tax to sustain a society built around a 7th century Arab moon-cult Fascism. That is it. That is the reality of yet another myth about 'moderate' Islam. There is nothing moderate about either the Zakat or Koranic law and a Sharia-controlled society. Nothing.