"No Arab has superiority over a non-Arab, and no non-Arab has superiority over an Arab. No white person has superiority over a black person, and no black person has superiority over a white person. No man has superiority over a woman, and no woman has superiority over a man. The criteria for acceptance in the sight of God are righteousness and honest living."
Prophet Muhammad's Farewell Sermon
Friday, June 06, 2008
Brainstorming "Islam"
Today's post is supposed to be interactive. I would like the dear readers to write down in the comment section as honestly as possible what comes to their minds when they think of the word Islam.
misunderstood. used and abused by certain extremists. fear in the west due to media exaduration fuelled by some so called "Muslims" that are helping the media with their wrong doings. but most of all PEACE.
Mostly, I just think of Islam the religion/culture/civilization.
But if I ask myself the spiritual meaning of the word, I think: submission to truth.
I put it that way because I am not a Muslim, but I think that a person's relationship to reality is what spirituality is really about. So that is the concept in my experience which might be closest to what it really means in the Muslim experience.
Peace; One's spiritual believe they choose to follow; A faith like all other faiths that is misused by some; A faith that most only associate with Arabs.
anglo-libyan wrote: misunderstood. used and abused by certain extremists.
I agree very much. But more specifically I would say that Islam was abused first, and then became misunderstood. Today it is also deliberately misunderstood by certain western leaders, in order to justify actions, with other purpses. A pattern that repeats itself from the crusades.
But I must admit despite my friendly inclination towards moderate Islam, I do have one problem. It has to do with the women's position in many more or less strict muslim societies. Many women in the west who come from such societies are extremely critical of this. And, me, myself and I are having a bit of a problem comming to terms with this...
When I hear "Islam," I think of Arabs, of Ishmael, of the desert, covered women (very feminine, mysterious), of its tension and contradictions with Christianity... I think of outspoken people, of internal conflicts within its followers, of its diversity....
I have my own experience of Islam and of Muslims, but it is metaphorically comparable to a mere grain of sand in the world's deserts.
Are you speaking of Islam or the West? I am sure it is the former.
To AK
Good and Evil are theological terms. What action or inaction constitutes as the former or the later really depends on the metaphysical reference you are using.
As for the radical Islamist terrorists, I don’t think they consider themselves to be 'evil'; quite the contrary they consider themselves to be a force of good in the world.
Now you say they are evil, they say they are good...now what?
All of this is meaningless conjecture if we do not have a agreed upon standard by which we can deem a action or a thing to be 'good' or 'evil'.
The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear of Islam is a peaceful religion, with an amazing culture that stretches from Morocco to Indonesia and the Phillipines.
I think of the great holy cities, Mecca and Medina, and Najaf and karbala, and what a breathtaking sight it would be to see them :)
well i was using it in this context as highlander had her post the views on islam.
i was making the point that, as clear from the comments, many people have a very different view of the same topic.
For instance, it can be used as a force for good, for instance as a strong incentive for helping others through charity, as well as the vast majority of muslims using it to improve their daily lives.
however it has been used for terrible purposes as well, for example al qaeda
As for my own view yes i believe as i stated before it can be used for good and that the philosophy behind it is a noble and good one, but it can be used for evil by other people, just like christianity, hinduism, buddism, atheism etc.
One of the monotheistic religions. Hospitality. Terrorists who try to justify their murders by religion. The absence of declared inside opposition against this abuse.
Islam means to submit yourself to God's (Allah) will. Islam is the most peaceful religion. However what you see in the news, are actions of people and not to be used as a reference to the religion. If you want to judge a religion, judge it based on its book and not by its people (sadly because in today's world you can't trust people for anything)
As far as war is concerned, we can only fight in defense, i.e. we cannot attack anyone. During war, we are not to harm, women, children, elderly ... we cannot even harm a tree that has a single green leaf on it.
Most of the Americans are extremely ignorant, sadly low on IQ. They don't know about many things, let alone Islam. Hell many can't even point out Iraq on the map.
Quran is the only book, (out of the 4 holy books) that is still in it's truest form (nothing has been added, deleted, abrogated from Quran)
Forgiveness is considered very high in Islam. As Allah is the most forgiving and most merciful.
During the time, when Islam came ... people used to bury new born if they were female. Islam put a stop to this cruelty against women and gave them equal rights. Islam gave mothers the highest rank ... by saying beneath a mother's feet lies heaven.
My estimation of Islam will increase dramatically when Muslims allow other religions to be practiced freely in their societies. Specifically, I would like the Saudis to allow the freedom for Christians, Hindus, Jews, etc, to build temples in Mecca. When I see that happening, then I will take Islam seriously as a religion of peace. Until then, it's all just lip service.
Currently, there are seven major Mosques in the greater Washington DC area. (I looked them up on the internet and checked their validity.) How many major Christian churches do you have in your city? This in a country that is eighty percent Christian.
32 comments:
Peace and Love for all....
Have a great weekend !
misunderstood.
used and abused by certain extremists.
fear in the west due to media exaduration fuelled by some so called "Muslims" that are helping the media with their wrong doings.
but most of all PEACE.
salam Highlander, hope all is well :o)
Mostly, I just think of Islam the religion/culture/civilization.
But if I ask myself the spiritual meaning of the word, I think: submission to truth.
I put it that way because I am not a Muslim, but I think that a person's relationship to reality is what spirituality is really about. So that is the concept in my experience which might be closest to what it really means in the Muslim experience.
Salam Highlander,
Peace;
One's spiritual believe they choose to follow;
A faith like all other faiths that is misused by some;
A faith that most only associate with Arabs.
Truth and Lies
Love and Hate
Trust and Fear
East and West
Moslims and non Moslims
Sonna and Shee3a
Good and Bad
Islam is a lot of things right now, depends on who is looking at it and who is searching an answer.
For me it is: Truth, Love, Trust and Good.
anglo-libyan wrote:
misunderstood.
used and abused by certain extremists.
I agree very much. But more specifically I would say that Islam was abused first, and then became misunderstood. Today it is also deliberately misunderstood by certain western leaders, in order to justify actions, with other purpses. A pattern that repeats itself from the crusades.
But I must admit despite my friendly inclination towards moderate Islam, I do have one problem. It has to do with the women's position in many more or less strict muslim societies. Many women in the west who come from such societies are extremely critical of this. And, me, myself and I are having a bit of a problem comming to terms with this...
A beauty in itself, sadly misunderstood by many , exposed by terrorists (both Muslims and non)for their own hypocritical beliefs and benefits.....
peace ,love ,
altough east try 2 make islam
equal 2 words like ..
terror ,assault ,killing women ...
bt we able 2 probe d truth ...
To Adam
my friendly inclination towards moderate Islam
What exactly is ‘moderate Islam’?
Would you care to define the term?
It has to do with the women's position in many more or less strict muslim societies
1. What exactly is a ‘strict Muslim society’ Adam?
Can you please elaborate?
2. As for the position of women in these 'societies'... you are not really giving anyone much of anything to go on.
Perhaps you would care to tell us what position(or positions)women in these societies occupy, and why these positions offend your sensibilities?
What do I think of when I hear the word Islam?
Submission.
The only thing which is a product of a "culture of ignorance" Perkunas is your comment.
“Islam began strange and will return to being strange and Tuba (a field of heaven) to the strangers.”
The World Trade Centre burning, and other similar images.
The Ka'abah, am saving up for my next pilgrimage. No matter the crowd, it is still a beautiful place.
Amaan :-)
Simple & Logic
highlander
Well for me islam has several meanings, it changes depending on who is using it.
I would have to say it depends on the viewpoint.
Extremists who use this as a reason for hatred and violence. This is not just al qaeda, but others as well.
My view is that it can be a force for good, but it can be used for evil as well.
Also highlander, just wanted to let you know that changed my blog, from Akland to this http://akbookreviews.blogspot.com/
When I hear "Islam," I think of Arabs, of Ishmael, of the desert, covered women (very feminine, mysterious), of its tension and contradictions with Christianity... I think of outspoken people, of internal conflicts within its followers, of its diversity....
I have my own experience of Islam and of Muslims, but it is metaphorically comparable to a mere grain of sand in the world's deserts.
Salam.
To Mike.
Are you speaking of Islam or the West? I am sure it is the former.
To AK
Good and Evil are theological terms. What action or inaction constitutes as the former or the later really depends on the metaphysical reference you are using.
As for the radical Islamist terrorists, I don’t think they consider themselves to be 'evil'; quite the contrary they consider themselves to be a force of good in the world.
Now you say they are evil, they say they are good...now what?
All of this is meaningless
conjecture if we do not have a agreed upon standard by which we can deem a action or a thing to be 'good' or 'evil'.
The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear of Islam is a peaceful religion, with an amazing culture that stretches from Morocco to Indonesia and the Phillipines.
I think of the great holy cities, Mecca and Medina, and Najaf and karbala, and what a breathtaking sight it would be to see them :)
A Misunderstood Peace & Harmony
Fe Aman Allah
lost libyano
well i was using it in this context as highlander had her post the views on islam.
i was making the point that, as clear from the comments, many people have a very different view of the same topic.
For instance, it can be used as a force for good, for instance as a strong incentive for helping others through charity, as well as the vast majority of muslims using it to improve their daily lives.
however it has been used for terrible purposes as well, for example al qaeda
As for my own view yes i believe as i stated before it can be used for good and that the philosophy behind it is a noble and good one, but it can be used for evil by other people, just like christianity, hinduism, buddism, atheism etc.
Submission
One of the monotheistic religions. Hospitality. Terrorists who try to justify their murders by religion. The absence of declared inside opposition against this abuse.
Islam means to submit yourself to God's (Allah) will. Islam is the most peaceful religion. However what you see in the news, are actions of people and not to be used as a reference to the religion. If you want to judge a religion, judge it based on its book and not by its people (sadly because in today's world you can't trust people for anything)
As far as war is concerned, we can only fight in defense, i.e. we cannot attack anyone. During war, we are not to harm, women, children, elderly ... we cannot even harm a tree that has a single green leaf on it.
Most of the Americans are extremely ignorant, sadly low on IQ. They don't know about many things, let alone Islam. Hell many can't even point out Iraq on the map.
Quran is the only book, (out of the 4 holy books) that is still in it's truest form (nothing has been added, deleted, abrogated from Quran)
Forgiveness is considered very high in Islam. As Allah is the most forgiving and most merciful.
During the time, when Islam came ... people used to bury new born if they were female. Islam put a stop to this cruelty against women and gave them equal rights. Islam gave mothers the highest rank ... by saying beneath a mother's feet lies heaven.
Hi Highlander, I'm BAAACK! ;-)
My estimation of Islam will increase dramatically when Muslims allow other religions to be practiced freely in their societies. Specifically, I would like the Saudis to allow the freedom for Christians, Hindus, Jews, etc, to build temples in Mecca. When I see that happening, then I will take Islam seriously as a religion of peace. Until then, it's all just lip service.
Glad to see you again, AK!
Peace, serenity and submission...
a great way of life that is misunderstood
Follow Up: Curt from Houston
Currently, there are seven major Mosques in the greater Washington DC area. (I looked them up on the internet and checked their validity.) How many major Christian churches do you have in your city? This in a country that is eighty percent Christian.
How many Libyan Christians are in Libya = zero. Number of churches in Libya more than zero.
anonymous, read this:
http://english.alarabonline.org/display.asp?fname=2008%5C07%5C07-27%5Cztravelz%5C973.htm&dismode=x&ts=27/07/2008%2012:06:43%20%C3%A3
Thank you all for your comments and for coming back to this blog.
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