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Islam 101 - Page 5

Jennifer, thanks for answering my questions. What I don't understand is why the extremist ones are allowed to be called 'Muslims' when they're not following the teachings of the Islam, isn't that a bad image for the religion? a bad representation? then the Muslims in general get very upset about how people treat them but at the same time they don't understand that there are lots of Muslims who are very hateful and they want to kill all the people from the West. I have heard it! I have read it in another forum also! then living in a country with a pretty big Muslim population, I know Muslims are not that way and that's what gets me so mad when I see the so called 'Muslims' saying all kind of things that doesn't represent the Islam...at the same time, I personally don't see that the Islam make a big deal about it, in my opinion, they should...

QUOTE Islam is more than a religion, it is a way of life. There is a song of an advertising of the Muslims here in Trinidad that says 'Islam is a way of life, a complete way'. They show it so many times that my son started singing it LOL

There is a song of an advertising of the Muslims here in Trinidad that says 'Islam is a way of life, a complete way'. They show it so many times that my son started singing it LOL

Islam

Reading on WorldNetDaily, I found this article today. Note: It is NOT an attack against Arabs or Muslims. It is pointing out what CAIR and other, similar organizations have said and how they have acted.

https://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=35811
The priorities of Muslim-Americans

NightHawk

Islam 101 Islam Studies

Thanks for the link. I just skimmed it over and wanted to share an experience with you:

This was interesting for me, as I think that if this truly is their mission, and they could see what kind of effect they are actually having inside our Masjids they might want to reconsider their approach. I'd like to tell about this:

I mentioned that I am on CAIR's mailing lists, and while I don't agree with them 100% of the time they are doing a descent job. The thing that really gets me is that while this is the only place we seem to get this news, they tend to put a very big focus on hate crimes against Muslims. There have been some pretty violent attacks, I apprieciate their efforts but too much of this kind of story can produce negative results for Islam as well.

I was once approached by an older Muslim women who began to tell me about a couple of stories that she read through CAIR's newsletter. They were quite terrible stories, and she began to advise me to start going out without my hijab! We had a bit of a discussion about hijab, and in the end she told me I was an extremeist because of my refusal to take it off. This was a bit upsetting for me, and it was provoked by her own fear of the people from having read so much of this kind of story.

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For LDS:

I understand your point and your confusion over why we would let the "extremeist" ones remain as Muslims. Sure, they provide a bad representation, but who will be the one to decide what is extremeist and what is not? A human being with faults of their own? No, only Allah can judge us. This is why I tell you that we differ only in knowledge.

Do you remember a certain Shayke (I think they call them Mullah) from Afghanistan who had only one eye and for a long time was a very wanted man by the U.S. government? Well, that is a man who was a self proclaimed Shayke, was not even literate, no education etc. and yet when the guy would speak some ignorant garbage, people would unknowingly buy it without so much of the blink of an eye. This amazes me. I am not speaking only about non-Muslims in the media doing this. How does one look at an ignorant man who is only a self-proclaimed leader and trust what he has to say? I guess what I am saying in short is: Consider the source.

There is no "quick fix" for this situation, as the answer in my opinion has to do with educating ourselves as Muslims. In some places such as Afghanistan, this will take longer as the foundation has not even been laid yet.
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I apprieciate our dialogue on this forum,
Jennifer

Page 5 Islam

Thank you, Jennifer. I am glad that you stand up for your beliefs and principles.

WorldNetDaily has documented quite a few times where CAIR has greatly exagerated their stories. I obviously cannot speak from personal experience about CAIR, only what is reported elsewhere.

Now, as you are probably well aware, many people expected a huge backlash against Muslims in the US after 9/11. CAIR was the leader in this. Yet in the few days following the attack, Christians, Jews, even atheists took it upon themselves to protect Muslims and Muslim property. Neighborhood watches were quickly set up all over the country. Yes, there were a very few attacks, and local people quickly dealt with them. Yet CAIR still claims that this isn't so.

I don't remember his name, but he is the one that was convicted of the first WTC bombing that happened in 1993. He is also the one that CAIR and their partners claim is a martyr to US imperialism. He is discussed a little bit in the WND article.

You are right. There is no quick fix. It is going to take moderate, or normal Muslims standing up and proclaiming that the acts of these people are unacceptable to them. It is going to take the normal Muslims in the local mosques refusing to contribute to the suspect charities.

Christians do this all the time. When someone behaves unacceptably as a Christian, we disassociate ourselves from them, and stop supporting them in any way. Jimmy Swaggart is one example.

NightHawk

Islam

This is something I cannot figure out about you guys. How could I sleep with myself knowing that I have abandoned my sister or brother at a time when they needed help the most? Are we not here to help one another? Are we not commanded to love one another? Not only is this idea totally unIslamic, it is also anti-Christian. Certainly, this practice of yours is in direct contrast to the practice and teachings of Jesus Christ:

LUKE 15:1-7

Tax collectors and sinners were all crowding around to listen to Jesus. The Pharisees started grumbling, "This man is friendly with sinners, he even eats with them."

Then Jesus told this story:

If any of you has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will you do? Won't you leave the other 99 in the field and go look for the lost sheep until you find it? And when you find it you will be so glad that you will put it on your shoulder and carry it home. Then you will call your friends and neighbors and say, "Let's celebrate! I have found my lost sheep."

Jesus said, "In the same way there is more happiness in Heaven because of one sinner who turns to God than over ninety-nine good people who don't need to."

So if you guys want to carry on in this way of disassociating yourselves from one who goes off the path, that's your right, but I don't think you should advise Muslims to follow in your footsteps. I don't see how you guys justify this sort of measure.

Peace,
~Jennifer

P.S. I am not intending to sound rude, but I can't find a polite way to tell my opinion about this idea.

Islam 101

You are right, to a certain extent. Many of us become critical and judge the person. However, many also become critical of the behavior, and call the person to repent, to change, to live closer to the Christian ideal.

I have seldom seen even this much from Muslims. And perhaps there are some good reasons.

Here is an article that I have saved for some time. I may have posted the link before, I can't remember, but it is still very pertinent to this discussion.

https://www.danielpipes.org/article/1255

NightHawk

Islam 101 - Page 5

I think there is a difference between abandoning a brother or sister in need and contributing financially to help them do something that is wrong and against your beliefs. If it is against Islam to kill then why would good members of Islam contribute to charities that they know participate in this sort of activity?

Islam 101 Studies Islam - Page 5

Nighthawk,

Maybe you have never seen this much even from Muslims because you have not spent time with any of them. You don't know what a group of people are like until you have lived in their shoes. Of course you have not seen it, how would you have? And I am not going to read your article from daniel pipes. If this were world war 2, would you expect me to learn about jews from hitler? Of course you would not. And I don't think you can get descent information from Daniel Pipes, a man who himslef said he is anti-Islam. So thanks but no thanks.

As far as giving to charities, I do so, and I will continue to do so. You say these charities support terrorism, but how do you know this? Because American government says so? We all know how honest and trustworthy they are. If I wish to send money to my brothers and sisters who are suffering in Palestine or anywhere else, then I will do exactly that. If it lands me in prision then so be it. American government gives billions of dollars each year to Israel and they think nothing for human life. They even kill Americans who try to stop a bulldozer from demolishing a civilian home. As a taxpayer, they get my money to do this kind of thing, and so I am already supporting terrorism. Should I tell them I refuse to pay taxes?

It's a real problem in the world. Everybody thinks their blood is more precious than someone elses. Well, we all bleed the same, we all suffer, we all die. It's what you did with your life that matters in the end, and that is all.

Peace,
~Jennifer