Topic: Sunworshiper Versus Wahabi

[Mazhar]

"Sun Worship, religious devotion paid to the sun either as a deity or as the symbol of a deity. Sun worship was practiced by the Iroquois, Plains, and Tsimshian peoples of North America and reached a high state of development among the Native Americans of Mexico and Peru. The sun was also a Hindu deity, regarded as maleficent by the Dravidians of southern India and as benevolent by the Munda of the central parts. The Babylonians were sun worshipers, and in ancient Persia worship of the sun was an integral part of the elaborate cult of Mithras. The ancient Egyptians worshiped the sun god Ra.

In ancient Greece the deities of the sun were Helios and Apollo. The worship of Helios was widespread; temples were built in Corinth, Árgos, Troezen (no longer in existence), and many other cities, but the principal seat was on the island of Rhodes, in the Dodecanese, where four white horses were sacrificed annually to the god. A similar sacrifice was offered on the summit of Mount Hagios Elias, in the Taïyetos Mountains, in Laconia. In time virtually all the functions of Helios were transferred to the god Apollo, in his identity as Phoebus. Sun worship persisted in Europe even after the introduction of Christianity, as is evidenced by its disguised survival in such traditional Christian practices as the Easter bonfire and the Yule log on Christmas"

Quoted with thanks from:
"Sun Worship." Microsoft® Encarta® 2006 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2005.

[Sami Yusuf Islam]

thak you Mazhar.

a very enriching post indeed.


very appreciated.

Rhodes! I am surprised. I thought it was catholic italian......

[Mazhar]

Thanks Brother,

About Rhodes I could lay hand on this information:
Rhodes (island, Greece) (ancient Rhodus or Rhodos; modern Greek Ródhos), island, southeastern Greece, in the Aegean Sea, near Turkey, grouped for administrative purposes with the Dodecanese Islands. The island has a maximum length, from northeast to southwest, of 72 km (45 mi); its maximum width is 35 km (22 mi). A longitudinal mountain range traverses the central portion of the island. Atáviros, the highest peak, is 1,200 m (4,000 ft) above sea level.

Archaeological discoveries indicate that Rhodes figured prominently in the Aegean civilization of ancient times. In the 2nd millennium bc, when the island first appears in history, it was inhabited by the Dorians, and its chief towns were Camirus, Lindus, and Ialysus. These towns were flourishing commercial centers with colonies scattered throughout the Aegean basin. For many centuries the history of the island is obscure, but the three cities are recorded as members, in the 5th century bc, of the Delian League, a confederacy of Greek states under the leadership of Athens. The three cities broke with Athens in 412 bc. In 408 bc the city of Rhodes, constructed according to designs by the Greek architect Hippodamus of Miletus, was completed. Throughout most of the following century, the island was involved in the internecine wars of Greece. In 332 bc Rhodes submitted to the sovereignty of Alexander the Great. On the death of Alexander in 323 bc the citizens of Rhodes revolted and expelled the Macedonians.

As was mentioned above they are also called "Zoroastrians". There is a sect that may or may not be similar to them, also in the Kurdish area, called Yazidis or Yezidis.{Viking Islam}

"Zoroastrians" believe in "dualisam" and regard the fire {not sun} as a pure creation.
Yezidis is a Kurdish religious group: group founded by Muslim mystic {Sheik Adi ibn Musafir} in the 12th century but incorporating Iranian myth and tradition.