Islam & the Muslim faith- banishing myths

[AtLast]

Originally Posted by softness

my daughter dated someone who was Muslim. She read up on the religion and asked me to do the same. Like most religions, there are things I liked and things I didnt. I too would love to know more about it. I try very hard not to hold the entire faith of one religion agains the zealots of it. Including and especially Christianity.

Thanks for starting this, ALH

Yup, zealots of any kind usually put a whole lot of garbage out there! What Laerkin brings about the development of factions today with the subjegation of women is very interesting.

Toughy's info on the non acceptance of Muhammed by Christianity actually slipped my mind. This is an important distinction to think about when I see those zealots on TV bashing the Muslim faith!

[Miss Scarlett]

I am so sick and tired of the "anti- not affluent English speaking straight conservative white christian" people out there and their push to rid the US of anyone/thing not exactly like them. They venomously spew their vitriolic anger and bombastic rhetoric at every opportunity for the sole purpose of promoting their agenda by fear mongering leading to, among other things, a growing pattern of Islamophobia and Hispanophobia in the US.

These people are dangerous. They rely on the ignorance of their audience - a group that is largely made up of older adults who for some reason believe everything they are told in the media, read online or in an email chain letter.

History does repeat itself and if this is allowed to continue to gain momentum it will only be a matter of time before they start rounding up people and segregating them in designated areas or worse...

[Glenn]

This is what is being taught in conservative christian theological seminarys that is causing derision among Christians and Moslems:

Jesus- Died and rose from the dead.
Muhammad- Dies and stays dead.
Jesus-Never fought.
Muhammad- Fought many many times.
Jesus- When Jesus heard from God he went to the desert to be tempted and began his ministry with boldness (Mark 1:14-15}
Muhammed- Was uncertain and wanted to commit suicide (Quran 74:1-5)
Jesus- Claimed ti be God as well as man
Muhammed- Claimed to be a man.
Jesus- Instructions received from God the Father.
Muhammed- From an angel.
Jesus- Never killed anyone.
Muhammed- Killed many.
Jesus- Had the power to take life, but never did. He restored it.
Muhammed- Had the power to take it, but never restored it.
Jesus-Never married.
Muhammad- Had over 20 wives including a 9 year old girl.
Jesus- Spoke well of womwn.
Muhammad-Said women were one half as smart as men(Hadith3:826;2:541) That the majority in hell would be women (Had 1:28,301, 2:161;7:124) That women could be mortgaged .

[lipstixgal]

I have Muslims friends and they are alright, bright and friendly I see nothing wrong with being a Muslim..I'm Jewish and we are not liked by any stretch of the means so who am I to judge them!! But it is interesting to see the similarities between Muslim religion and the Jewish religion!!

[MsMerrick]

Just a note about having more than 1 wife.
At the time Muhammad lived, women were worth less than Camels. Seriously.
The whole notion, that if one had sex with a woman, you had to marry her.. first..which meant you had to provide for her, was very radical. Like it or not, that was actually a very good thing for women, at the time. They had no rights, and no worth, and were considered less than Camels. Insisting that men had to marry them ie provide for them, was very uplifting, at that time..

[Heart]

Efforts at understanding are important. De-mystifying and un-demonizing is crucial.

That said - I do NOT grant Islam, or any religion, a pass when it comes to patriarchal, oppressive beliefs about girls and women. I do not abide by any religion's conviction of their supremacy or "chosen-ness." I do NOT accept cultural relativism when it comes to abuse or violence-in-the-name-of.

Most of all, I hate the hypocrisy of traditional organized religions, including Islam.

Islam is no worse, and no better, than any global, organized religion, but it does currently gets "othered," in ways that are clearly the result of fear, ignorance, racism and bias.

Like other religions, there exists in Islam a continuum from secular to reform to moderate to conservative to fundamentalist. We are living in times when ALL kinds of fundamentalism is on the rise, coupled with an ever-shrinking globe, the proliferation of weaponry, and information and mis-information that travels at lightening speed. It is a time of extremes and extremism. That, not religious beliefs and not Islam, is the danger.

Heart

[AtLast]

Originally Posted by Heart

Efforts at understanding are important. De-mystifying and un-demonizing is crucial.

That said - I do NOT grant Islam, or any religion, a pass when it comes to patriarchal, oppressive beliefs about girls and women. I do not abide by any religion's conviction of their supremacy or "chosen-ness." I do NOT accept cultural relativism when it comes to abuse or violence-in-the-name-of.

Most of all, I hate the hypocrisy of traditional organized religions, including Islam.

Islam is no worse, and no better, than any global, organized religion, but it does currently gets "othered," in ways that are clearly the result of fear, ignorance, racism and bias.

Like other religions, there exists in Islam a continuum from secular to reform to moderate to conservative to fundamentalist. We are living in times when ALL kinds of fundamentalism is on the rise, coupled with an ever-shrinking globe, the proliferation of weaponry, and information and mis-information that travels at lightening speed. It is a time of extremes and extremism. That, not religious beliefs and not Islam, is the danger.

Heart

Yes, the one most significant reason I cannot be a part of organized religion is this very thing.... all (including what I grew up with) of the major religions of the world have this patriarchal oppression of women and girls within their ideological foundations.

My main interest here is about current US demonizing of Islam and the Muslim faith. As with most things, I do gai9n some hope when seeing what you describe as more secular to reform to or even moderate movements within major religions. Yet, I don't know that the patriarchal foundations of any of them will ever be shattered.

Throughout my life I have had a difficult time with being able to find a spiritual path that I could integrate into my life as a balancing influence and for me this is just important. The hypocrisy factor has always been the major stumbling block- I even felt this way as a young kid. I also did have mother that was not afraid to voice her inability to accept much of the Catholic doctrine that she was reared within even as a woman born in 1917 to a very devout Latin background. At age 7, I remember her marching up to a nun that had scared the shit out of me about mortal sin saying, children do not sin! She took me out of the school afterwards and just gave me her side of Catholicism as she utilized it for herself. Thank you, Momma! I know she met with a lot of wrath my grandparents over this. Although, her own mother became Pagan in later years. And what is interesting is that I believe she was a very faith-based woman in some ways. That base was one of questioning and only applying what she could follow as a human being.

It is possible to find a spiritual, or even what I believe to be faith outside of patriarchy, but a struggle. And one not everyone even wants to be part of.

No, I would not be any more inclined to become Muslim than Christian again, or Jewish, but, I do see the current hate about Islam to be very destructive.

Oh and cultural-relativism! My days in child protective services with Southeast Asian populations certainly put me at odds with it in many ways. And I have a very strong sense of ethnic culture personally. Then there was a bout with working with child sexual abuse and having perps cite various religious doctrines to deny their actions as being wrong!

[Soft*Silver]

Rook...I am so glad you joined in and told us your personal experience. I love your momma too! LOL.

I am learning so much, and am glad not to walk around with an empty spot where knowledge should be.

thanks to everyone for posting!