Be Wary of Racism and Islamophobes

post reply Forum Index » Religion

1 2 3 ... 60 61 62 ► Go

Go to page...

09/05/2014 21:34

Subject: Be Wary of Racism and Islamophobes

quote

Anonymous

Hello All,

A 22 page thread titled, "Tell me about Islam" began as what appeared to be an intelligent and sober discourse on what Islam is truly about. A Muslim woman who called herself "Muslima" offered insight into her faith. Very quickly, a handful of islamophobes swept in on her to object to her explanation of Islamic ideology and principles and they began what amounted to the systematic vilification of an entire religion that is beloved to billions of people.

Since DCUM is predominantly anonymous, we have no idea who said exactly what and how many people said it. Nevertheless, disgraceful, offensive, and racist comments were communicated.

The particular posts were reported and Jeff contacted me. While he sympathized, he said the thread was extremely long and it would be a very arduous task for him to delete every single post that contained the racist comments. It would take him an entire afternoon. Upon reflection, I realized that perhaps it is indeed best such racist remarks are permanently recorded in that thread, because it provides the clear evidence how deceptive islamophobes inquire about Islam under the guise of intellectual curiosity, when, in fact, their motive is far more sinister.

It is best to learn about Islam from one who lives it day to day and practices it in good faith. When a topic is not clear, seek clarification from primarily the Quran itself because only the Quran is believed by Muslims to be the only word of God. It is true that many Muslims rely on the hadith, which are the actions and words of Prophet Muhammad, but even some of these may be unreliable because they are the purported words of the Prophet as remembered by his companions and others. Sometimes hadith provide valuable context to Quranic principles, however.

The Islamophobes engaged Muslims in a circular debate. They posed questions, Muslims answered the questions to the best of their ability and provided authoritative scholarly references, and their only rebuttal was simply that they found other sources that presented a much more harsh and unforgiving version of Islam. The islamophobes also enjoyed using the "cut and paste" method of explaining Quranic passages. When it was explained to them that passages from the Quran may not be read out of historical context, they made the claim that the Quran is, therefore, not timeless.

In all fairness, even Muslims have taken passages from the Quran out of context. ISIS justifies the beheading of its prisoners by misinterpreting the Quran. Some scholars, not all but some, particularly in Muslim countries, have also misinterpreted the Quran. Remember that Islam originated in Arabia and pre-Islamic Arabia was a hedonistic, uncivilized, and brutally corrupt place. Deeply rooted cultural beliefs and traditions permeated their thinking and even today, people still cling to these old traditions and views. As such, the Islam practiced by some people in Muslim countries is not necessarily pure Islam or true Islam. It is influenced by a deeply entrenched, patriarchal belief system. Thus, examining the work of scholars from these countries in particular will not accurately explain true Islam. However, this is what these islamophobes will do and want the public to do, because it simply supports their cause for exclusionary practices, prejudicial and racial profiling, and their own deeply held philosophical religious beliefs.

I will post youtube links of prominent Islamic scholars from the U.S and Canada, but a few from Muslim countries also, on various controversial topics. They are relatively short videos. Please take the time to view them and feel free to ask questions.

My purpose in doing this is not to proselytize but simply to dispel the myths and expose the deception of islamophobes.

Thanks.